Starkville and East Mississippi Area Power Improvement Project

Kemper, Noxubee and Winston Counties, Mississippi

On March 3, 2025, TVA issued a final environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for its proposed transmission improvements to provide power to the Starkville and East Mississippi areas by constructing, operating, and maintaining two separate 161-kV transmission lines. TVA’s planned Midway-South Macon and South Macon-Dekalb 161-kV transmission lines will result in about 52.2 miles of new transmission lines in Kemper, Noxubee and Winston counties. TVA will purchase easements that provide the necessary rights to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed transmission line routes. TVA will acquire approximately 268 acres of new ROW easements and utilize an additional 363 acres of existing ROW. TVA will also install new fiber-optic ground wire on the transmission lines to facilitate communications with the TVA network.

The project will provide additional power sources into the Starkville and East Mississippi areas to alleviate loading concerns and support load growth and economic development in these areas by adding necessary power capacity.

The EA evaluated the anticipated environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the new transmission lines.

Public Involvement

TVA developed a public communication plan that included a website with information about the project, a map of the alternative routes, and numerous feedback mechanisms. During the scoping phase, TVA held two open houses due to the large number of alternative routes, the length of and the distance between the two transmission lines, and the large number of property owners potentially affected by the proposed project. TVA announced its preferred route for the proposed Midway-S. Macon 161-kV Transmission Line in April 2020. The preferred location for the proposed S. Macon-DeKalb 161-kV Transmission Line was selected from several options presented online at a virtual open house and announced in May 2021.

The draft EA was released for a 30-day public review on December 19, 2024. Public notices were issued in local newspapers, including Kemper County Messenger, Louisville Winston County Journal, Macon Beacon, and Starkville Daily News.