As we continue into the 21st century, AEP believes that an advanced interstate transmission
system should be part of a shared national vision.
In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, creating the interstate
highway system we enjoy today. Eisenhower envisioned vast societal benefits for
national defense, economic development, and personal safety.
Fifty years later, in 2006, AEP became the leading utility proponent of the need
for a nationwide interstate transmission system modeled after the national interstate
highway network.
The nation is in critical need of new transmission infrastructure to eliminate transmission
“bottlenecks” that reduce system reliability and raise energy costs
for electricity users.
We believe that our new vision – conceptually known as “I-765”
-- will efficiently deliver wholesale power regionally within a competitive market
while enhancing regional reliability. The concept is embodied in the AEP Interstate Project announced in January
2006. It represents the first attempt by a major utility to propose a new
transmission “superhighway” using AEP’s proven 765-kilovolt transmission
technology to address constraints affecting the eastern grid.
AEP is now extending its I-765 concept and developing similar projects as part of
a larger vision and mission for its transmission business. In keeping with
that vision AEP intends to:
- Maintain its leadership in technical innovation of transmission systems
- Set the standards for transmission safety, efficiency and reliability
- Provide for robust market competition that will benefit customers by eliminating
bottlenecks in the U.S. transmission grid, and
- Reduce the need for new generation by facilitating the optimal economic dispatch
of existing generation assets
