MAN, W.Va. — Appalachian Power plans to do some upgrades to an aging set of transmission power lines in Logan County and residents in the region will be able to learn more about the preliminary plans on Tuesday night. Power company officials will hold an open house to talk about their tentative plans from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Man High School Tuesday.
“Anytime we introduce a transmission project, we like for people to come out and get more information. We’ve made decisions and plans on where we think the line would be best, but until we get feedback from customers and property owners, we’re not 100 percent sure,” said Appalachian Power Company Spokesman George Porter.
The Becco Project will be situated in the area of Lyburn and Man, West Virginia near Route 10. The plans call for an upgrade of some aging transmission lines which where first installed in the 1930’s. According to Porter, it’s aimed at making the grid more durable and the chances for power outages far less.
“We’re going to build about 7 miles of 138KV and about 10 miles of 69kv transmission lines. Plus we’re going to retire 24 miles of older equipment. That equipment has reached its useful life and the new equipment will be sturdier and more reliable,” he explained.
But before the company can put the plans into cement, they need to make sure they don’t create major problems for those living in the areas where the new equipment will be built. The upgraded lines will, in some places move out of the existing right of way and onto new rights of way. Porter said they want to know any problems landowners or customers will have with the proposed route before they take the next step.
“We don’t know if there’s a tree on your property that your parents were married under or if there are plans to built a new house. We need to know that kind of information right now,” he said.
The open house Tuesday will show what the company has in mind. They’ll accept public feedback and input on things they like or don’t like about the project to be evaluated and possibly adapted into the plans. The schedule calls for construction to being in fall 2025 and it will take just over two years to finish.