CULLMAN, Ala.  – The Tennessee Valley Authority announced Monday that it has identified a preferred location for a new transmission line that would prepare for growth and increase power reliability in Cullman Electric’s southern service area.

TVA will build a 161-kilovolt transmission line from Cullman Electric’s Helicon 161-kilovolt Substation in Arley to their Trade 161-kilovolt Substation in Crane Hill adjacent to their existing Trade 46-kilovolt Substation. The new line would be less than eight miles long and built using primarily single-pole and H-frame steel structures on a new 100-foot-wide right of way. The preferred route is one of several proposed at a virtual open house held from July 7 to August 8, 2022.

The selected route is expected to have the least impact on the area, based on public input from the virtual 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 the construction, operation, and maintenance of the line. Property owners would still own the property and be compensated for the easements at fair market value.

TVA is expected to begin surveys in winter 2022-2023 and start acquiring easements in spring 2024. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2025 and be completed in winter 2025-2026. A project map and additional information are posted at tva.com/transmissionprojects.

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.

Helicon-Trade, Ala., Proposed Transmission Route Map