The Tennessee Valley Authority has identified a preferred location for a new transmission line it says would prepare for growth and increase power reliability in the Nettleton area of Lee County, Mississippi.
Tombigbee Electric Power Association will upgrade the Nettleton 46-kV Substation to 161-kV operation. TVA will build a 161-kilovolt transmission line from the existing Tupelo-Okolona 161-kilovolt transmission line to the upgraded substation. The new line would be less than 8 miles and built using primarily single-pole, steel, or concrete structures on a combination of existing 75-foot-wide and new 100-foot-wide right of way.
TVA is expected to begin surveys in spring 2024 and start acquiring easements in summer 2025. Construction is scheduled to begin in winter 2025-2026 and be completed in spring 2026.
TVA says the selected route is expected to have the least impact on the area, based on public input from open houses and additional evaluation of other factors, including social, environmental, and engineering impacts. A National Environmental Policy Act review is also pending.
The project will utilize existing and new right of way. TVA says it will meet with property owners along the right of way to obtain easements for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the line. Property owners will still own the property and will be compensated for the easements at market value, TVA added.
