MURPHY, N.C. – The Tennessee Valley Authority is asking for public input on proposed transmission system improvements to prepare for growth and increase power reliability in the Appalachia area encompassing parts of Polk County in Tennessee and Cherokee County in North Carolina.

TVA proposes to invest about $28 million to build the Martins Creek Switching Station and a new power line. The new line would begin at the existing Apalachia Hydro Plant and extend southeast to the Tap to Ranger and Harshaw Road-Weaver Transmission Lines and then connect them to the proposed Martins Creek Switching Station. The new line would be about 27 miles and built using primarily steel, H-frame structures with the potential for steel towers and single-pole structures as indicated by design.  

TVA is committed to working with area stakeholders during the course of the project and encourages public input. The public should visit TVA’s website from Thursday, Jan. 19, through Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, at tva.virtual.com/appalachia. The public can submit comments and ask questions via the website. Detailed maps showing the different locations being considered for the proposed switching station and transmission line are available on the website.

The public may also submit comments by contacting TVA’s Austin Ethridge toll-free at 800-362-4355, by email at [email protected], or by mail to: Austin Ethridge, Tennessee Valley Authority, 1101 Market St., MR 4G, Chattanooga, TN, 37402-2801. The deadline for comments is Feb. 20, 2023.

TVA is investing over $2 billion in transmission system improvements across the service area between 2021 and 2025 to build the energy grid of the future that will continue to provide, clean, low-cost, reliable power.

For more information about TVA and its 89-year mission of service to the Tennessee Valley, click here.

Maps

Possible Segments of the Proposed Transmission Line Map

Switching Station Map