CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Appalachian Power will soon have some major projects underway across the Central region of the state, making upgrades, improving efficiency and reliability to existing transmission systems, as well making construction preparations to accommodate a new, multi-billion dollar steel plant soon to come to the Mountain State.
The first project is expected to reduce the duration of power outages, as well as lower the overall number of those outages by making improvements to the electric power system for Charleston-Huntington area customers.
AEP Spokesperson Phil Moye told MetroNews they call these kinds of updates improving efficiency, reliability and resiliency to the system, Distribution Automation Projects, and they have been installing them across their service districts for several years now. He explains how they work.
Phil Moye
“So, let’s say you have a car to hit a pole, or a tree to fall on a line, this equipment would quickly isolate that area, and instead of having a large number of customers out it would just be the customers in the immediate area,” Moye said.
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AEP received $2.5 million through the U.S Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program to support the project. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, helped secure the funding.
Moye said while the company already does projects of this nature around their service area anyway, he said grants such as this helps offset the amount of cost they have to put back into customer’s rates.
“With the federal funding that’s out there, whether it’s this or something else, if there is funding available we want to apply for it, because anything we can do to offset the cost to our customers from work that would otherwise be done and put into rates, we want to do that,” he said.
He said they have the Distribution Automation equipment on about 10-percent of their distribution circuits, but their aim is to expand that.
“We wanted to be able to add more and more circuits, because it’s a benefit to our customers, it improves reliability,” Moye said.
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Another major project AEP has in store will make upgrades to a nearly 30-mile power transmission line in Mason County, which is expected to benefit Nucor, the new, multi-billion steel mill soon to be on its way to the Apple Grove area of the county.
In an earlier statement, AEP Spokesperson George Porter said the new poles as part of the project will be taller, studier, allowing for less line stretching across Lakin to Apple Grove. He said the current lines are outdated and in need of the upgrades.
“That line was built in the 60’s and now we’re looking at 50 or 60 years of weather, like ice and other storms. So, we want to replace the wooden poles with steel, reliable structures,” Porter said.
Porter said Nucor will not only benefit from the Lakin-Apple Grove line upgrade, but AEP also has a major project centered around providing quality service specifically to their plant, as well.
Moye said the project will include a new substation for Nucor, a couple of miles of transmission line connecting to them, as well as some upgrades to other current substations all to ensure they’re providing quality power to the company, as it’s a major need for them and the work they will be doing.
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“Nucor is expected to have about 450 mega watts to use, which is just a huge amount of electricity, and so in order to provide that you have to have the transmission infrastructure in place to do that,” Moye said.
Moye said a 345 KV line is what will be serving Nucor, which is among the highest voltages AEP offers on their transmission system.
He said he expects Nucor to be one of AEP’s largest customers they have on their system, and one they will greatly benefit from.
“We’re really looking forward to it, because it’s just a great economic opportunity, and we’re glad to be here to serve that new customer,” he said.
In addition, Moye said a certain amount of the energy being delivered to Nucor will be renewable, which was one of the company’s considerations when looking to place their new plant.
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“We were able to provide that and that’s going to be an ongoing thing for them, obviously they will use a lot of electricity, but some portion of that will be renewable,” Moye said.
He said they plan to get construction underway for the project in Summer 2024, and have service there by Dec. 2025.
BRADSHAW, W.Va. — West Virginia Emergency Management Division’s FEMA partners will have a Disaster Recovery Center open starting Friday in McDowell County to help victims of the devastating mid-February floods that occurred across Southern West Virginia.
The DRC will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Friday, March 7 at Bradshaw Town Hall, 10002 Marshall Highway.
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Residents impacted by the floods will be able to sign up to receive assistance for their homes and properties that sustained damage.
The DRC provides help to homeowners, renters, and business owners.
The center will continue to be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Sundays.
No appointment is necessary, and walk-ins are welcome. Residents can also apply for assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362, or using the FEMA mobile app.
For more information on West Virginia’s recovery efforts, please visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4861 and follow @WVEMD and @FEMARegion3 on social media.
Mesquite (Tx.) North Forney 2026 quarterback Legend Bey has been compiling a long list of scholarship offers at this stage of his recruitment and one of the latest to join the mix is West Virginia.
Bey, 5-foot-11, 185-pounds, already held offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Mississippi and Michigan State, among others.
But the Mountaineers are now also involved after the coaching staff offered him.
Quarterbacks coach Rhett Rodriguez was the assistant that gave him the news and he made it clear that he is the type of signal-caller that the Mountaineers want on their roster.
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“He mentioned that I would fit well in the type of offense they run up at West Virginia,” he said.
While the Rivals.com three-star prospect is a versatile athlete, the Mountaineers are targeting him solely as a quarterback in the scheme with his athleticism and ability to throw the football.
Bey was named 10-6A offensive most valuable player after a junior year where he threw for 1,444 yards and rushed for 1,912 with 41 touchdowns.
“I was told I was being recruited to play QB,” he said.
Bey is looking into setting up a visit to West Virginia, along with checking out a number of his other options and is working on a date for when he can make it to Morgantown.
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“We should be expecting an official visit date really soon,” he said.
An economic development official from Upshur County has been named to the Leadership West Virginia Class of 2025. Upshur County Development Authority Director Brandon Tenney is one of 56 leaders chosen from a competitive pool of applicants across the state.
Pam Farris, executive director of Leadership West Virginia (LWV), emphasized the high quality of this year’s group.
She said, “The selection process is competitive since most applicants are qualified, but the individuals chosen this year have already made significant contributions in their careers and communities. We believe they stand ready to take their leadership to the next level and find effective solutions to shape a brighter future for West Virginia.”
Farris also highlighted LWV’s statewide mission.
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“Leadership West Virginia equips participants with a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our state and fosters collaboration and innovation to find viable solutions,” she said.
Chad Prather, chair of the LWV Board of Directors, underscored the importance of connections.
“Connection is the largest benefit of this program. It’s not just about individual growth but about establishing relationships that cultivate and motivate change. By bringing together talent, knowledge, resources and passion, we’re creating a statewide community of leaders that we can all count to bring success to the Mountain State.”
Now in its 34th year, the Leadership West Virginia program spans seven months and covers topics such as healthcare, education, energy, government and tourism. Participants explore different regions of the state, develop leadership and communication skills and join more than 1,600 LWV alumni.
LWV is a statewide education and leadership development not-for-profit program affiliated with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Its goal is to cultivate visionary individuals who use their talents to inspire others and drive West Virginia’s progress. More information is available at www.leadershipwv.org.
The Class of 2025 includes:
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Omar Ahmad, Pullin Fowler Flanagan Brown & Poe PLLC (Huntington)
Jon Alexander, WV Air National Guard (Inwood)
Jeff Altizer, Skaff Engineering Company (Chapmanville)
Brittany Anderson, Bluefield State University (Bluefield)
Meridith Balas, West Virginia University (Morgantown)
