FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) representatives plan an estimated $20 million investment to upgrade the electric transmission system in Fort Wayne and Allen County.
The Eastern Fort Wayne Transmission Line Rebuild Project involves upgrading approximately 12 miles of 138-kilovolt transmission line in the company’s existing right-of-way. The line upgrade will take place between the Robinson Park Substation located on North Clinton Street and Allen Substation located off Tillman Road southeast of New Haven, near Maples.
Plans call for replacing the existing steel lattice towers with innovative Breakthrough Overhead Line Design® (BOLD) structures, developed by American Electric Power engineers. BOLD structures are shorter than the existing towers, have a smaller footprint and deliver electricity more efficiently.
The improvements help ensure electric reliability for customers and support the area’s economic growth.
Additional details, including project area maps are available at IndianaMichiganPower.com/EasternFortWayne.
Contract Land Staff, I&M’s right-of-way representative for this project, plans to communicate with directly-involved landowners to discuss preliminary field work and supplementing current property easements for the safe construction, operation and maintenance of the power line.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I&M and its contractors are limiting in-person visits with property owners during this process to ensure the safety and health of the public and company representatives.
I&M crews and contractors expect to begin construction late 2021 and conclude by late 2022.
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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 599,000 customers. More than two-thirds of its energy delivered in 2019 was emission-free. I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,400 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities 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 also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
MEDIA CONTACT
Tracy Warner
Indiana Michigan Power Communications
260-479-9484
tkwarner@aep.com