AEP Oklahoma Transmission Co., an affiliate of Public Service Company of Co., will soon be moving forward with its plans to build about 60 miles of new 345-kV transmission line in western Oklahoma.
The nearly $120 million Western Oklahoma Transmission Reinforcement Project will ensure adequate capacity to meet the growing need for electricity in the region.
Surveying and right-of-way clearing for the transmission line and construction of the company’s new 345-kV Chisholm Substation – located west of Elk City – is expected to begin this spring. Later this summer, construction on the new transmission line will begin at the new substation and continue east before turning southeast and crossing Interstate 40 northeast of Sayre.
The planned transmission line continues southeast toward Sentinel before turning east and connecting with the portion of the line being built by Oklahoma Gas and Electric northwest of Mountain View. Construction and restoration on the 60-mile line is expected to be complete by summer of 2018.
Right-of-way agents have been meeting with area landowners to discuss the project, construction activities and restoration. The project will use single-pole steel structures in a 150-foot-wide right-of-way.
The project was ordered by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a regional transmission organization responsible for overseeing the electric transmission grid in Oklahoma to address regional reliability issues. SPP operates to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and reasonable wholesale rates.
