GAHANNA, Ohio, October 11, 2017 – AEP Ohio, and AEP Ohio Transmission Company Inc., will host an open house on November 1, 2017 to seek public input about upcoming improvements to the electric transmission grid in northwest Ohio.

The Fostoria-Fremont Transmission Line Rebuild Project involves upgrading about 15 miles of 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line to 138 kV standards to improve reliability for area customers. The new line will be built with steel, single pole structures.

The Fostoria-Fremont Transmission Line Rebuild Project will replace about 15 miles of existing 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line with higher capacity 138 kV facilities, including new steel poles. The project represents an approximate $22 million investment to improve reliability in the area.

“The project open house allows us to interact with public and receive valuable input early in the process,” said Randy Payne, AEP Ohio community affairs manager. “This is a great opportunity to inform the public about our siting process and work collaboratively with stakeholders to find least impactful routing solutions.”

To learn more about this project, the public is invited to attend an open house on November 1, 2017 at Old Fort Elementary Bettsville Campus located at 118 Washington Street in Bettsville. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event will run until 7:30 p.m. The informational workshop provides residents the opportunity to meet and talk with project representatives and view detailed maps. There is no formal presentation. Visitors may come and go at any time during the open house.

An application will be submitted to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). The OPSB is the state regulatory agency that reviews and approves plans to construct electrical facilities in Ohio. Construction is anticipated to begin in winter 2019 and be complete by winter 2020, pending approval from the OPSB.

Additional information about the project, including maps, is available online at AEPOhio.com/Fostoria-Fremont.

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AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com. American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP also operates 224,000 miles of distribution lines. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning approximately 26,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.