PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — Residents will get a chance next month to question the developers behind a proposed 74-mile, high-voltage transmission line that would cut through Pickaway County and four other Ohio counties, as part of a regional effort to shore up the state’s power grid.
Grid Growth Ventures, the company studying routes for the project, is evaluating options for two 765-kilovolt transmission lines linking facilities in Coshocton and Guernsey counties to Pickaway and Fairfield counties. No final route has been selected, and the company says it is still weighing engineering feasibility, environmental constraints, land use and public feedback before narrowing its options, according to a letter the company sent to area landowners.
The Village of South Bloomfield shared the update with residents on Facebook, saying it wanted to make sure the public understood what was being discussed and what could potentially affect the area.
The project, known as Grid Growth East, was assigned to the company in early 2026 by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that coordinates the flow of electricity across Ohio and surrounding states. PJM selected Grid Growth Ventures to develop, build and maintain the lines after a competitive proposal process, following studies that identified significant future reliability concerns across the regional power system as electric demand continues to grow, according to the company.
Grid Growth Ventures is a joint venture that combines Transource Energy — itself a partnership between American Electric Power and Evergy — with FirstEnergy Transmission, bringing together more than 120 years of combined experience in the electric transmission industry, the company said.
The company is holding a series of in-person open houses across the five-county study area in late September and early October so residents can talk with project team members, ask questions and share feedback. The meetings will run 4 to 7:30 p.m. with no formal presentation; attendees can arrive any time. The schedule includes:
• Guernsey County: Monday, Sept. 21, at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center & Event Space, 7033 Glenn Highway, Cambridge.
• Muskingum County: Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds, 1300 Pershing Road, Zanesville.
• Pickaway County: Monday, Sept. 28, at White Willow Meadows, 10260 Ballah Road, Orient.
• Coshocton County: Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Lake Park Pavilion, 23253 State Route 83, Coshocton.
• Fairfield County: Thursday, Oct. 1, at Crossroads Ministry Center, 2095 West Fair Avenue, Lancaster.
Once a preferred route is identified for each line, Grid Growth Ventures said it will conduct detailed environmental, cultural resource and engineering studies before submitting applications to the Ohio Power Siting Board, the state agency responsible for approving major transmission projects. The two proposed lines have already been assigned case numbers with the board: the Adkins–West Millersport 765 kV Transmission Line Project, Case No. 26-0813-EL-BTX, and the Conesville–Guernsey 765 kV Transmission Line Project, Case No. 26-0812-EL-BTX. The company expects to file those applications in spring 2027.
The Ohio Power Siting Board must determine that any approved route meets the state’s requirements before construction can begin, a process that includes public hearings residents can request notice of, and that allows residents to petition to formally intervene within 30 days of a hearing being announced. Questions about that regulatory process can be directed to the board at opsb.ohio.gov or by phone at 866-270-6722.
Grid Growth Ventures is asking residents to submit input — including information about historic sites, wetlands, springs or planned uses for their property — by Oct. 15. Feedback can be submitted through GridGrowthVentures.com/EasternOhio or by returning a comment card included with the mailed notice.
The information contained in this story was obtained from a public update shared by the Village of South Bloomfield and from project materials distributed by Grid Growth Ventures.
