ROANOKE, Va., August 18, 2008 – Today Appalachian Power filed with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) a request to build an electric transmission reinforcement project in the Dixie Caverns and Poor Mountain area to serve the growing electric demands in central and western Virginia. The company introduced the Matt Funk Transmission Reinforcement Project in April and identified a preferred route for the 138 kilovolt (kV) facilities in late summer following several weeks of public input.
 
The new equipment helps ensure that the electric transmission grid in the area meets national standards for reliability. By 2010 local electric demands could load existing facilities to levels that exceed these standards. The company asked the SCC to consider expediting the application review so the new facilities could be energized as soon as possible.
 
The Matt Funk Substation and nearby facilities are a major distribution point for electric customers in central and western Virginia. The project involves installation of new equipment at the existing Matt Funk Substation, a one half mile power line to tie two yards at the substation together, and a new power line to connect the substation to an existing power line on Bent Mountain.
 
The preferred corridor for the new transmission line would emanate from the substation and continue 4.5 miles up Poor Mountain to connect with the Bent Mountain line. The preferred route parallels an existing 138 kV transmission line that has been in place since 1969. If approved along the preferred route, the project would require construction of approximately 20, 125-foot-tall transmission towers built on a 100-foot-wide right of way.
 
There are two residences in the company’s preferred route. The company is working with the property owners to define the best location for the power line and to resolve any relocation or acquisition issues.
 
The company also identified a viable alternative transmission line route and is submitting it to the SCC for consideration. The viable alternative parallels an existing 765 kV transmission line for almost half of its length. There are no residences in the alternative route; however, it is located in a very rugged and remote area that has more environmental issues than the preferred route.
 
“We appreciate the involvement of individuals, community organizations and governmental organizations that participated in this process to this point,” said Archie Pugh, project manager. “We believe we’ve identified an electric solution that addresses many of the concerns that we were made aware of, yet ensures that our communities continue to have a dependable supply of electric power.”
 
Public participation opportunities continue in the Virginia SCC process.  If the SCC approves the proposal, Appalachian expects to begin engineering, surveying and right-of-way acquisition in late 2009. Construction could start soon afterward. Although some components are expected to be in place to ease the 2010 loading, the in-service goal for the entire project is June 2011.
 
Additional information about the Matt Funk Project, including maps, photos, visual simulations, fact sheets and the company’s SCC filing, is available at www.appalachianpower.com/go/mattfunk.
 
Appalachian Power has about 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, which delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
             
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