Allegheny Energy and American Electric Power (AEP) said that their affiliates have asked the Public Service Commission of West Virginia to extend the current procedural schedule for reviewing an application to build the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) project in the state.
The request will allow the PATH companies to prepare updated testimony that reflects information from the preliminary 2011 Load Forecast Report issued by US based power marketer PJM Interconnection.
The draft report differs from prior PJM forecasts and could potentially have an impact on the PATH project’s in-service date, the companies said.
The recent filing calls for the PATH companies to submit supplemental testimony by 31 March 2011 and requests an extended procedural schedule that moves the deadline for a Public Service Commission decision on the PATH project to February 2012.
Similar requests are expected to be filed in Virginia and Maryland this week to ensure a consistent review of the project across all jurisdictions.
The PATH project is a joint venture between Allegheny Energy and AEP to build a 765kV, 275-mile transmission line from Putnam County, West Virginia, to Frederick County, Maryland.