PJM Interconnection announced a reconfiguration of PATH, a proposed high-voltage transmission line project from Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline.

PJM, the organization responsible for the transmission grid covering 13 states and the District of Columbia, directed the construction of PATH to ensure the reliability of the region’s transmission grid. The original project configuration included a 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from the Amos substation near St. Albans, West Virginia, to the Bedington substation near Martinsburg, West Virginia, and twin-circuit 500-kV lines from Bedington to the proposed Kemptown substation southeast of Frederick, Maryland.

The reconfiguration is a result of constraints identified as a result of comprehensive siting studies; interaction with government agencies; public input; and a desire to identify a solution that reduces line mileage and minimizes the impact on communities and the environment. The new configuration will:

• Consist of a single 765-kV line from Amos to Kemptown,
• Eliminate the connection with the Bedington substation and the twin-circuit 500-kV lines from Bedington to Kemptown, including many previously evaluated routes in that area, and
• Include a new mid-point substation in the vicinity of eastern Grant County, northern Hardy County, or southern Hampshire County, near existing PATH alternative routes. The substation site has not been determined.

Based on the re-configured project, the PATH team is developing new route alternatives between the mid-point substation area and Kemptown. PATH continues to work toward identifying the complete line route and expects to file applications for approval by state regulatory commissions during the first quarter 2009.