TVA proposes 19-mile transmission line from Clay to Lowndes counties
WEST POINT – The Tennessee Valley Authority is proposing a 19-mile transmission line in Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha Counties that it calls its preferred route.
The new line would support growth and increase power reliability, the utility said. The route is expected to have the least impact on the area, based on public input from the in-person and virtual open houses and additional evaluation of other factors including social, environmental and engineering impacts, according to TVA. A National Environmental Policy Act review is also pending.
The proposed power line will begin at the Clay substation at 2740 TVA Road in West Point and extend south to the Artesia substation at 1280 Mims Road in Columbus.
The project would be less than 19 miles and be built using primarily single and double-pole steel structures on existing and new 100-foot-wide right of way.
The preferred location for the new line was selected from several options presented at an open house in West Point on Nov. 14, 2024, and online at a virtual open house.
TVA will meet with property owners along the proposed right of way to obtain easements for construction, operation, and maintenance of the line. Property owners would still own the property and be compensated for the easements at fair market value.
This fall, TVA is expected to begin surveys and start acquiring easements in through winter 2025-2026. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring-summer 2027 and be completed in summer 2027. A map of the project and additional information are available at tva.com/transmissionprojects.
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