AEP owns more than 39,000 miles of transmission lines in 30 Public Policy The development
of a nationwide interstate extra-high voltage transmission system remains one of
AEP's primary public policy goals. the United States, 2,116 miles of which are high-voltage
765 kV lines that serve as the backbone of the electric interconnection grid in
the Eastern United States. This system serves our customers in 11 states and electricity
markets. AEP is a member and participates in the organized wholesale markets administered
by regional transmission organizations (RTOs) that include PJM in the East and the
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP),
both in the Southwest.
A range of technical, market and planning issues emerge from our RTO participation.
While they vary by RTO, common issues must be addressed, such as regional transmission
planning processes, the allocation of costs for construction of extra-high voltage
transmission infrastructure, fostering market efficiencies and the appropriate use
of demand response in RTO markets.
