Appalachian Power's 90-mile
Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry 765-kilovolt (kV)
transmission line connects power stations
in Wyoming County, W.Va., and Jacksons
Ferry, Va., and improves the reliability
of service in the company’s West
Virginia and Virginia service area. The
area hasn’t seen major transmission
reinforcement in more than 30 years
Why the line is needed
A new line is needed because customer
demand for electricity is greater than
the transmission system can supply. When
the demands placed on the transmission
system exceed its capability, there is
an increased risk of system failure that
could cause power outages and blackouts.
In 1973, the company completed the last major "backbone" 765
kV transmission line that serves the
area. Since then, peak energy demand
has more than doubled. In 1973,
customers set a peak usage of 2,720 megawatts
(MW). In 2004, customers' peak usage
topped 7,000 MW.
Reasons for increased usage
The additional electricity demand results
from growth in the number of customers,
along with increased electricity usage
by each customer. Per capita use of electricity
is up due to more home appliances and
other electric-powered conveniences and
necessities. Although the area's population
has remained relatively stable, increases
have occurred in the number of households
and businesses served as well as the
number of customers who use electricity
for efficient heating and cooling.
The solution, a new power line
Appalachian Power announced the power line
project in March 1990. State regulators
are charged with evaluating Appalachian's
proposal and assessing alternatives.
The Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry project was
approved by state commissions in Virginia
and West Virginia in May 2001 and March
2002, respectively. In addition, the
project crosses federal land. In December
2002 the US Forest Service made a recommendation
that the power line be allowed to cross
11 miles of federal land. Appalachian
Power began clearing rights of way for
the project in late 2003, and started
construction in April 2004. The last of 333 towers was erected in October 2005. The line will be placed into operation in June, 2006.
How was the route selected?
Appalachian Power’s proposed power
line routes were selected by experts from
Virginia Tech and West Virginia University.
They were charged with finding the most
reasonable, least environmental impacting
route available. Routing experts and the
public provided input to the state commissions,
who ultimately selected the approved route.
