Amid opposition, Grid Growth hosts first open houses

GREENVILLE - With opposition to its new transmission corridor still growing from county commissioners chambers to social media groups and forests of yard signs, Grid Growth held its first round of public open houses this week in Darke, Shelby and Miami counties.

Grid Growth Ventures, a 50-50 partnership between FirstEnergy Transmission LLC and Transource Energy LLC (which is jointly owned by American Electric Power and Evergy), was created to develop transmission projects awarded by PJM Interconnection, the large power wholesaler that services 13 states from the East Coast to the Midwest.

The company announced at the end of August its sprawling plan to develop approximately 220 miles of new transmission infrastructure extending from the Indiana-Ohio border in Darke County to Guernsey County in the east. The project is divided into "Western Ohio" and "Eastern Ohio" segments with Columbus at the center. Zacks Equity Research suggests the combined project was estimated at $1.2 billion by PJM.

The proposal for Grid Growth West includes two new 765-kV transmission lines and one 345-kV double-circuit transmission line that would cross northern Darke, southern Shelby, and northern Miami counties on its way from Clark County, Indiana, to Columbus. The company has published a map, viewable at gridgrowthventures.com, that shows several alternate routes through the Darke-Shelby-Miami county region.

County officials in Shelby and Miami counties immediately expressed strong opposition to the plan, citing their own growth and expansion plans as well as local impacts to agriculture, drainage systems, property values, first-responder communications and the "general character" of their counties.

Grid Growth emphasized that the final route has not been determined and that a series of open houses would be used to answer questions and allow the public in each region to help "shape" the final project.

"Route options under consideration will be available for public review at 13 open houses throughout communities along the proposed corridor," a news release explained.

In western Ohio, those open houses took place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings in Greenville, Piqua and Sidney, respectively. Reactions from those who attended ranged from appreciation at having questions answered and more information presented to feelings that the routing of the transmission corridor has already been set in motion and will be little impacted by public input.

According to reporting by the Daily Advocate, individuals attending the Greenville open house were asked to sign in and then invited to view presentations on different aspects of the project, such as environmental protection, vegetation management, timeline, electric and magnetic fields, and more. Grid Growth had staff at each area of the room to answer questions. Attendees could view their land plot on a map and leave comments on why the project might cause issues. A "virtual open house" at gridgrowthventures.com/WesternOhio includes the various information boards presented at the public meetings.

Darke County Commissioner candidate Eddie Anjos was not impressed.

"I went there hoping for an open and transparent discussion with the community. Instead, in my opinion, the format felt more like an information display than a true public meeting," Anjos said in a social media post. "There were numerous representatives and third-party staff positioned around posters and displays, much of which appeared to be information that could also be reviewed online."

"For me, the bottom line is that an open house with posters and one-on-one conversations is not enough. Some may consider this public engagement; I believe Darke County residents deserve a much more open conversation," he added.

The Darke County Commissioners passed a resolution expressing adamant opposition to Grid Growth West being routed through Darke County. They also sent a letter to the governor, Sens. Bernie Moreno and John Husted, Rep. Warren Davidson, and state legislators reiterating their opposition, noting that, "Rural landowners should not be expected to sacrifice their property and way of life as the default solution for meeting growing electricity demand. Farmland is a valuable resource that supports agriculture, local economies, and generations of family investment. It should not be viewed simply as available land for development."

Darke County Commissioner Matt Aultman told The Daily Standard after the open house, "We are standing with our citizens affected and are against it. I've talked with Shelby and Union (counties) personally and had meetings in Miami and Champaign about it too. In Darke County I'm working with the townships and villages this affects to have letters or resolutions against it so we can show a unified front."

Darke County Engineer Jim Surber told the Daily Advocate that none of the design and construction questions he has asked over the last three-four months have been answered, and that "the project appears inevitable."

A Facebook user who attended the Greenville open house told members of the group NO Grid Growth of Shelby County, "Glad to hear your GG people were way more useful, polite and informative than what we got in Darke County! It's not just me that thought that, many others did too."

Reports indicated about 200 people attended Thursday's open house in Sidney, where the Shelby County Commissioners have also objected to the route passing through their county.

One Facebook user said he brought photos and questions to deliver to Grid Growth as part of the database of public input but could find no one to accept the materials formally. "I left this meeting. Disgusted. They already know what they're going to do. 80% will leave there believing that they got their way and the other 20% are stuck. They just don't know it yet," he wrote.

Another attendee commenting on Facebook said she asked about the maps Grid Growth has presented,   which show the route options across Shelby County in blue lines. "I asked if it could divert off the current blue lines and he said it was highly unlikely," she wrote.

"Many properties are owned by families who have invested in their farms and properties for generations," the Shelby County commissioners said in a letter dated Aug. 25. "They are being asked to bear the burden of infrastructure that serves a much larger regional purpose. We believe PJM, FERC, OPSB, and policymakers need to take a much broader look at that equation. The Commissioners are calling for meaningful consideration of alternatives that could improve grid reliability while reducing the impact on agricultural landowners and rural communities."

Community members can continue submitting feedback on the proposed study segments and routes through Oct. 15. A second round of open houses is planned for early 2027, providing additional opportunities for public input before applications are submitted to the Ohio Power Siting Board in spring 2027. The project will advance through engineering, environmental review, public engagement and the Ohio Power Siting Board process before construction begins.