HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. – The Tennessee Valley Authority announced that it will invest about $30 million to build a new switching station and two new 161-kilovolt power lines to prepare Christian and Todd Counties for growth and increase power reliability.

The new 161-kilovolt switching station will be located on Commerce Park II Industrial Park property, south of John Rivers Road and north of Long Pond Road in Hopkinsville. Two new transmission lines will connect the substation to the power grid. The Edgoten-Caskey transmission line will be adjacent to the switching station. The Paradise-Clarksville power line will start north of Old Trenton Road and continue in a westerly direction to the substation.

The selected route is expected to have the least impact on the area, based on public input from the virtual open house that was held from April 6 through May 8, 2023, and additional evaluation of other factors, including social, environmental and engineering impacts. A National Environmental Policy Act review is also pending.

The new lines would total less than 10 miles and utilize primarily double-pole, steel structures on new 100-foot-wide right of way.  TVA will also obtain about 10 to 12 acres of land to accommodate the new switching station.

The power line project will utilize new right of way. TVA will meet with property owners along the proposed right of way to obtain easements for construction, operation, and maintenance of the lines. Property owners would still own the property and be compensated for the easements at fair market value.

TVA is expected to begin surveys in fall 2023 and start acquiring easements in winter 2024-2025. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2025 and be completed in spring 2026. A map of the project and additional information are available on the TVA website at tva.com/transmissionprojects.

TVA is building one of the most advanced energy systems in the nation, which includes about 3,800 megawatts of new generation, including combustion turbines, solar projects, combined-cycle natural gas, and energy storage. To support this effort, TVA is investing over $2.8 billion in transmission system improvements across its service area through 2027, to build the energy grid of the future that will continue to provide clean, low-cost, reliable power

Preferred Route of the Proposed Transmission Line (PDF)