ROANOKE, Va., April 14, 2014 – Appalachian Power will host an open house this month to answer questions about a major construction project starting soon in Botetourt County. The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) on January 24 approved the company’s request to complete a $237 million electric transmission infrastructure upgrade in and near the existing Cloverdale Substation.

Construction work will begin in June 2014 and continue into 2017.

Company representatives will be available to answer questions about the project and the construction process from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at Cloverdale Elementary School in Cloverdale. Visitors may come and go at any time during the open house.

The Cloverdale Extra High Voltage (EHV) Transmission Project includes construction of a new EHV substation, expansions and upgrades to the existing Cloverdale Substation, and installation of new transmission lines to tie the facilities together. The project is intended to address voltage and thermal problems, transmission congestion, and equipment obsolescence that have been identified in the region.

Branch Highways, Inc., a Roanoke company, was the successful bidder for the significant site development and grading that will be the initial phase of work required at Cloverdale. Branch representatives will attend the open house with Appalachian.

Appalachian held public meetings on the project before it filed its request with the SCC. Additional information about the project, including maps, photos and the SCC filing, is available online at AppalachianPower.com/Cloverdale .

Appalachian Power has 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 40,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.

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