COLUMBUS, Miss. ― The Tennessee Valley Authority has identified a preferred route for a new transmission line that would increase customer reliability and support economic development at the Infinity Megasite near Artesia, Mississippi. 

TVA proposes to build 11 miles of 161-kV transmission line beginning at TVA’s West Columbus Switching Station and ending at the new Artesia 161-kV Switching Station. The new Artesia Switching Station would be built at the Megasite west of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport on the south side of U.S. Highway 82 between Starkville and Columbus. The preferred route of the new line is a combination of route alternative Nos. 1, 2, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 24 proposed at an open house held in January 2018. 

The selected route is expected to have the least impact on the area, based on public input from the open house and additional evaluation of other factors including social, environmental and engineering impacts. A National Environmental Policy Act review is also pending.

TVA will meet with property owners along the proposed right of way to obtain easements for construction, operation and maintenance of the line. The project will use existing right of way for about four miles and will require new right of way for the remainder. Property owners would still own the property and be compensated for the easements at fair market value.

TVA is expected to begin surveys in summer 2018 and start acquiring easements in summer 2020. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2021 and be completed by summer 2021. 

A map of the project and additional information are available on the TVA website at www.tva.com/transmissionprojects.

Mississippi is home to TVA’s largest combined cycle plant—Magnolia. TVA partners with 28 local power companies to deliver 99.999 percent reliable power to 343,000 households and 85,000 commercial or industrial customers in Mississippi, with 8 customers directly served by TVA.

For more information about TVA and its 85-year mission of service to the Tennessee Valley, click here.