Project Overview
Overview
In June 2006, the PJM board approved a five-year plan designed to maintain the reliability of the transmission grid in the PJM region, including the Allegheny Power transmission zone. The plan includes construction of a new 500-kV transmission line, new 138 kV transmission lines and related substation facilities within Allegheny Power's transmission zone. This project has been named the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line (TrAIL).
Specifically, the plan calls for construction of a new 500-kV line extending from Southwestern Pennsylvania to West Virginia to Northern Virginia. About 37 miles of the line will be constructed in Southwestern Pennsylvania to address local reliability needs in Washington and Greene counties. PJM also directed the construction of two new substations in Southwestern Pennsylvania and three new 138-kV lines to address these same local reliability needs. If these potential problems are not addressed, they may create disruptions to service for residents and businesses of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The remainder of the project is necessary to meet the growing demand for electricity in the Mid-Atlantic region that may cause overloading on Allegheny Power's transmission line. If these potential problems are not addressed, it could result in blackouts, rolling blackouts and brownouts for customers in Allegheny Power's transmission zone as early as 2011.
The overall project has a targeted completion date of 2011. Cost estimates for Allegheny's portion of the project and other upgrades are approximately $850 million.
We investigated several alternate routes for the line by gathering data on land use, environmental constraints and other important factors.
We have determined the proposed routes after careful study, which included consideration of feedback received at public open houses. Allegheny hosted 10 public open houses and two informational meetings attended by 2,200 people along the route. We used valuable public feedback from the open houses and hundreds of written comments to help select the proposed route for the line.
We filed applications in the spring, seeking authorization from the necessary state regulatory commissions to build the line. In fall of 2007, public input sessions were held to allow for interested parties to comment on the line. Evidentiary hearings will be held beginning in January 2008. If approved, the new transmission line will cross portions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Project Benefits
Allegheny operates on a key principle: providing reliable electric service.
Benefits of the proposed transmission expansion include:
- improving system reliability;
- meeting the growing demand for electricity;
- increasing west-to-east transfer capability, making cost-effective generation available to more consumers; and
- economic benefits for West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania, including expanding markets for local coal, more jobs and the potential for new generation projects including clean-coal technologies and renewables, such as wind and hydro.
Click here to download a PDF of the TrAIL fact sheet.
The Need for Transmission Expansion
Throughout the PJM region, the demand for electricity has increased significantly, while the transmission infrastructure has not increased at a proportional pace. This has led to greater reliability risks and higher prices for consumers. Due to the growth in demand for electricity, additional transmission lines are needed to improve the grid’s reliability and transfer the power from where it is generated to where it is needed.
Regulatory Approvals
In Spring 2007, Allegheny Energy subsidiary, Trans- Allegheny Interstate Line Company, filed for authorization to build the line with state utility commissions in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. Those applications are available to view on-line at www.aptrailinfo.com. In addition, approvals from other federal, state and local authorities may be required. TrAIL is targeted for completion in 2011. Construction of the line will make effective use of existing facilities, properties and rights-of-way.
Line Siting Considerations
Allegheny is committed to working with landowners, neighboring residents, and business owners and regulators to balance all interests in an effort to minimize environmental and land-use impacts. Across the three states, Allegheny hosted 10 public open houses and two informational meetings attended by 2,200 people along the route. Valuable public feedback from the open houses was used to help select the proposed route for the line.
Proposed Project Schedule
Click on the image above to enlarge.
