West Virginia has 997 high-voltage and bulk transmission line segments totalling roughly 7,900 miles, operated by 11 distinct utilities and federal agencies across the Eastern Interconnection (PJM market). Of that total, 2,265 miles are extra-high-voltage (345 kV and above) — the long-distance backbone that moves power across the state.
The interactive map below shows every transmission segment in West Virginia from the HIFLD/CISA US Electric Power Transmission Lines dataset, colour-coded by voltage class. Click any line for the operating utility, voltage, status, and the substations it connects. Or browse the national US transmission map to compare West Virginia to every other state.
West Virginia Electric Transmission Network by the Numbers
- 997 total transmission line segments covering ~7,900 miles (HIFLD/CISA dataset)
- 2,265 miles of extra-high-voltage transmission (345 kV and above) — the long-distance backbone
- 11 distinct operators own or operate transmission infrastructure in the state
- Voltage profile: 800 miles at 735 kV or above
- Grid context: part of the Eastern Interconnection, balanced through PJM
- 718 of the segments (about 4,865 miles) are flagged as inferred in the source dataset — routing was estimated rather than digitised from authoritative source data
Voltage Class Breakdown for West Virginia
Every transmission segment in the dataset is tagged with a voltage class. Here is how West Virginia’s 7,900 miles of line break down:
| Voltage class | Miles | Segments | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 735 kV and above | 800 | 18 | 10.1% |
| 500 kV | 803 | 27 | 10.2% |
| 345 kV | 661 | 26 | 8.4% |
| 100 – 161 kV | 4,513 | 644 | 57.1% |
| Under 100 kV | 553 | 120 | 7.0% |
| Voltage not reported | 570 | 162 | 7.2% |
Top Transmission Operators in West Virginia
Appalachian Power is the largest transmission operator in West Virginia with 2,662 miles of line — about 33.7% of the state total. The top four operators (Appalachian Power, Monongahela Power, The Potomac Edison, Ohio Power) control about 72.8% of West Virginia’s transmission mileage between them.
| Rank | Operator | Line miles | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appalachian Power | 2,662 | 33.7% |
| 2 | Monongahela Power | 1,863 | 23.6% |
| 3 | The Potomac Edison | 812 | 10.3% |
| 4 | Ohio Power | 411 | 5.2% |
| 5 | Wheeling Power | 157 | 2.0% |
| 6 | American Electric Power | 113 | 1.4% |
| 7 | Kentucky Power | 105 | 1.3% |
| 8 | West Penn Power | 102 | 1.3% |
| 9 | Aep | 50 | 0.6% |
| 10 | Allegheny Power Systems | 9 | 0.1% |
Most-Connected Substations in West Virginia
These substations have the highest number of incoming and outgoing transmission line connections in the HIFLD dataset — effectively the busiest hubs in the West Virginia grid.
| Rank | Substation | Line connections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kammer (138Kv) | 16 |
| 2 | Unknown108805 | 13 |
| 3 | Chemical | 12 |
| 4 | Amos | 12 |
| 5 | Pruntytown | 12 |
| 6 | Turner | 12 |
| 7 | Tristate | 11 |
| 8 | Unknown129030 | 11 |
| 9 | Kanawha River | 11 |
| 10 | Wylie Ridge | 11 |
West Virginia’s Longest 500 kV and HVDC Corridors
These are the longest individual EHV (extra-high-voltage) and HVDC line segments in West Virginia — the inter-regional transmission spine of the state.
| Corridor | Owner | Voltage | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker — Broadford (765 Kv) | Unknown owner | 765 kV | 126 |
| Unknown151647 — Kammer (765Kv) | Unknown owner | 765 kV | 117 |
| Doubs — New Creek Wind | The Potomac Edison Co | 500 kV | 91 |
| Jacksons Ferry — Wyoming | Appalachian Power Co | 765 kV | 90 |
| Kammer (765Kv) — South Canton 765Kv | Ohio Power Co | 765 kV | 80 |
| Wylie Ridge — Harrison | Monongahela Power Co | 500 kV | 79 |
| Unknown123487 — Mount Storm | Unknown owner | 500 kV | 76 |
| Belmont — Mountainteer | American Electric Power Co., Inc | 765 kV | 67 |
Data Sources and Caveats
Transmission line geometry and attributes come from the HIFLD/CISA US Electric Power Transmission Lines public dataset. Per-state stats on this page are computed by intersecting that dataset with the West Virginia state polygon (Esri USA States Generalized Boundaries) and summing the intersected segments using haversine distance on the source line geometries. The dataset only covers transmission infrastructure (typically >= 35 kV); residential distribution wiring is not included. Some segments crossing the state boundary appear in both states’ totals.
Compare West Virginia to Other States
Use the national US transmission lines map to compare West Virginia’s grid to every other state — including total mileage, operator concentration, and EHV backbone share.
