AEP, Butterfly Meadows open houses set

VW independent staff/submitted information

Wednesday, August 12 – that’s when a pair of local open houses will be scheduled to share more information about a new electric facility and a possible new solar farm.

AEP Ohio

Officials from American Electric Power have scheduled an August open house to update customers about power grid upgrades in Van Wert County. According to a news release, AEP Ohio is planning to upgrade the electric transmission grid in Van Wert County to meet growing power needs in the area.

The Maddox Creek-Norse Transmission Project involves:

• Building an electric facility, Norse Substation, off Stripe Road north of U.S. 30.
• Building about 2.5 miles of 345-kilovolt transmission lines* connecting the Maddox Creek Substation off Fife Road to the proposed Norse Substation.
• Connecting the Norse Substation to a customer facility.

The company plans to build two separate transmission lines from the Maddox Creek Substation that will merge onto a single set of structures before connecting to the Norse Substation.

The news release states the project will deliver power to a new customer facility, with the customer covering the costs for the connections between Norse Substation and their site, as well as the power they use. The project will also provide additional electric capacity to support future economic development and growth in the area.

Landowners and community members are invited to the open house to learn more about the project and share input, particularly on study segments under consideration for the new power lines.

The open house will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 12, at the Wassenberg Art Center, 214 S. Washington St. in Van Wert. There will be no formal presentation, so attendees can arrive any time during the event.

Those who can’t attend may visit a virtual open house at AEPOhio.com/MaddoxCreek-Norse to get project details, view an interactive map and submit comments by Friday, August 28.

AEP Ohio encourages landowners to provide input to help the company determine a final proposed power line route that minimizes impacts to the community and environment. The project requires Ohio Power Siting Board approval. If approved, company officials expect construction to begin in late 2027 and conclude by late 2028.

Butterfly Meadows

On the same night, an open house will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at American League Post 178, 631 W. Main St., Van Wert for the proposed Butterfly Meadows Solar Project.

It’s a proposed 300 MW solar facility and 100 MW battery energy storage project, spanning approximately 4,000 acres of land primarily in Hoaglin, Union and Pleasant townships. 38 acres of the land is currently owned by the city of Van Wert.

If ultimately approved at the state level, construction would likely begin in 2028.

More information about the project can be found here.