Starkville and East Mississippi Area Power Improvement Project Draft Environmental Assessment

Kemper, Noxubee and Winston Counties, Mississippi

On December 19, 2024, TVA issued a draft environmental assessment (EA) 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 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 draft EA evaluated the anticipated environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the new transmission lines.

Public Involvement

Comments may be submitted online, via email to [email protected], or by mail to the contact below. To be considered, comments must be submitted or postmarked no later than January 20, 2025. Please note that any comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the project administrative record and will be available for public inspection.