Second BOLD line
enters service in Indiana

On July 19, AEP energized the Reynolds–Meadow Lake 345-kV transmission line in northwest Indiana. The line is the second built using AEP’s BOLD®, Breakthrough Overhead Line Design technology and the first using a lattice structure design to support the compact line configuration.

Second BOLD line enters service in Indiana

On July 19, AEP energized the Reynolds–Meadow Lake 345-kV transmission line in northwest Indiana. The line is the second built using AEP’s BOLD, Breakthrough Overhead Line Design technology and the first using a lattice structure design to support the compact line configuration.

BOLD® lattice towers at dawn
BOLD towers and wind turbines catch the morning light in northwest Indiana.

“Electric demand in this part of Indiana has been straining the system,” said Tom Newlon, senior transmission project manager, Transmission Projects – I&M. “This project will enhance reliability throughout the region.”

The approximately $26 million project involved station improvements and rebuilding a nine-mile, 345-kV line with the BOLD line to improve capacity without requiring more right-of-way acquisition.

The new BOLD lattice structures will maximize system performance while minimizing environmental impacts and overall system costs.

The structures are between 15 and 20% lower than the previous structures on the right-of-way.

BOLD® and wind
The BOLD towers are roughly a third the size of the wind turbines and 15-20% lower than the previous structures on the line.

AEP energized the first BOLD line near Ft. Wayne in November 2016. Additional projects are planned across the system, and BOLD® Transmission, a wholly owned subsidiary of AEP Transmission, is marketing the technology to other utilities.