ASHLAND, Ky., Aug. 5, 2026 – Kentucky Power and Appalachian Power representatives plan upgrades to the electric transmission system in Lawrence and Johnson counties, Kentucky and Wayne County, West Virginia. The project team is hosting an in-person open house to share the proposed project with the community.
The Big Sandy-Thelma Transmission Improvements Project involves rebuilding approximately 26 miles of 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission line between Big Sandy and Thelma substations and improving the connection into the Busseyville Substation. This project allows crews to replace 1960s-era transmission line that has experienced numerous outages in recent years due to severe weather events and vegetation encroachments.
The project team plans two in-person open houses in the project area. Landowners and community members are invited to attend the event of their choice to speak with project team members, review route options and provide input.
Wednesday, August 26, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Louisa Senior Citizens Center
101 W. Pike Street
Louisa, KY 41230
Thursday, August 27, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Paintsville High School Gymnasium
225 2nd Street
Paintsville, KY 41240
Area landowners can expect to receive a packet in the mail including additional project details and a comment card to return with their feedback.
Kentucky Power and Appalachian Power representatives plan to evaluate route options for the transmission line based on public input and feasibility. Landowner feedback is important as the project team works to minimize impacts to the community and provide continued reliable electric service. The project team requests all feedback by Wednesday, September 2.
“The Big Sandy-Thelma project represents meaningful investment in the transmission system, strengthens the local power grid and helps ensure reliable electric service for our customers,” said Sarah Lynch, Kentucky Power communications manager.
The project requires company officials to file applications with both the Kentucky Public Service Commission and the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. If the project receives approval, company representatives expect construction to begin fall 2029 and conclude by fall 2030. Visit KentuckyPower.com/BigSandyThelma for more information.
Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, provides electric service to about 163,000 customers in all or part of 20 eastern Kentucky counties, including Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Rowan.
Appalachian Power Company (APCo), a subsidiary of American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP), is a leading electric utility serving over 1.1 million customers across 57 counties in northeast Tennessee, southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia and parts of West Virginia's northern panhandle. With an extensive network of 61,000 miles of power lines and an owned generating capacity of approximately 8,500 megawatts, APCo is committed to delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy.
Kentucky Power and Appalachian Power are operating companies in the American Electric Power system, one of the largest electric utilities in the U.S., delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system. AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
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