AEP Ohio Transmission Co. Inc. has quietly made a very big move in Pike Township, shelling out just under $25.3 million for roughly 337 acres of land off Rosedale-Plain City Road near State Route 38. The company says the purchase is tied to planned transmission upgrades in Madison County that will add capacity and connect a large new customer, giving locals a front-row seat to central Ohio’s growing role in the state’s energy and data-center buildout.
According to Columbus Business First, the buyer listed on the deed is AEP Ohio Transmission Co. Inc., which paid nearly $25.3 million for the roughly 337-acre site on Rosedale-Plain City Road off Route 38 in Pike Township. A company spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the acquisition is tied to upcoming grid improvements in Madison County.
What AEP Plans To Build
The land is a key piece of AEP’s Patina-Mirkwood Transmission Project, which calls for two new substations and a significant stretch of high-voltage lines. Patina Station is planned near the Rosedale-Plain City Road and State Route 38 area, while Mirkwood Station is slated for the State Route 161 and Cemetery Pike area. The project also includes about 11 miles of 345-kilovolt, double-circuit transmission lines.
Company materials say the project will serve a new customer facility and increase capacity for future growth. Typical structure heights are listed at roughly 125 to 165 feet, with right-of-way widths ranging from about 150 to 350 feet. Study segments, maps, and outreach plans are detailed on AEP Ohio's project page.
Local Context
The purchase lands in the middle of an already heated conversation about large energy projects in Madison County. A roughly 6,000-acre solar project there was recently sent back to the Ohio Power Siting Board by the Ohio Supreme Court, which ordered more review after local governments raised alarms about visual impacts and substations. That decision, and the public blowback that led up to it, has intensified scrutiny of how and where big transmission and generation projects get built, according to WOSU.
What Residents Should Expect
AEP says it will keep working directly with landowners as it studies possible line routes and negotiates easements. The company held an open house in Plain City this spring to walk residents through maps and answer questions about the Patina-Mirkwood plan.
Company communications indicate that construction could start in early 2027 and continue into late 2029. The customer who requires the new connection is expected to fund the tie-in from Mirkwood Station. Those program details and the projected schedule are outlined in materials posted by AEP Ohio.
The project is part of a broader buildout. AEP is expanding its five-year capital plan to keep up with rising demand from large customers, a shift that analysts say will likely mean more land deals and new transmission projects in central Ohio and similar markets. The company highlighted that strategy in its latest earnings release and capital-plan update distributed via PR Newswire.
