Jeffersonville improvements meeting set for Thursday

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AES Ohio is inviting residents, landowners, and other interested members of the public to attend an informational open house for its proposed Jeffersonville Area Improvements Project – new double circuit 345,000-volt (345kV) transmission line.

The public informational open house will be held from 5-7:30 p.m. this Thursday at the Jeffersonville Masonic Lodge, located at 21 S. Main St. in Jeffersonville.

The improvement project includes building approximately 13 miles of new transmission lines, two new transmission substations, and relocating an existing distribution substation in Clark, Madison, and Fayette counties.

This transmission line proposal comes ahead of the construction of the Honda plant, a $3.5 billion joint-venture electric vehicle battery factory at the Fayette County mega-site at I-71/US 435 that is expected to create 2,200 jobs.

Construction on the plant is set to begin early this year, with anticipated completion set for the end of 2024. Mass-production of battery modules is expected to begin by the end of 2025.

Honda plans to start selling models built on its own EV underpinnings starting in 2026, but it will also continue to co-develop affordable EVs with GM, to be built by Honda. The Japanese automaker plans to introduce 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2030, with plans to sell all zero-emission automobiles by 2040.

The informational open house will provide the public an opportunity to meet and talk with project representatives and view detailed project maps. There will not be a formal presentation and visitors may come and go at any time.

The proposed route for the project largely follows railroad right-of-way, road right-of-way, and property lines. It is anticipated that the new line will be installed on steel monopoles, averaging 115 to 195 feet in height.

The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) is responsible for reviewing project information, including public comments and input, and determining whether to issue a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need approving the project.

AES Ohio plans to file an application with the OPSB in early 2023 for OPSB review and approval of the transmission line siting.

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