AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power and AEP Ohio Transmission Company Inc. are announcing an approximate $25 million investment to improve the electric transmission system in Delaware County.

The company plans to construct the 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Berlin, Brown, Delaware and Troy townships. The new transmission line will be about 17 miles long. This project will modernize the transmission and distribution electric grid in Delaware and the surrounding area, an AEP news release states.

To learn more about this project, the public is invited to attend a project open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Delaware Community Center YMCA, 1121 South Houk Road, Delaware. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The informational open house provides residents the opportunity to meet and talk with project representatives. There is no formal presentation. Visitors may come and go at any time during the workshop.

Delaware County residents can offer input, ask questions of project team members and learn more about the new transmission line.

“This is our opportunity to meet with the residents of Delaware County to discuss this project and its benefits to the community,” said Greg Gibbs, project manager for AEP Ohio. “We want to let everyone know how we plan on providing for the energy needs of the region while minimizing the effects on landowners and the environment.”

AEP Ohio plans to invest approximately $25 million in the new transmission line. Construction is targeted to begin in spring 2017 and be complete by summer 2018.

Additional information about the project, including maps, is available online at EPOhio.com/DelawareTransmissionLine.

AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna and is a unit of American Electric Power. AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers. More about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.