06:46 AM EDT, 10/16/2025 (MT Newswires) -- American Electric Power ( AEP ) said Thursday its AEP Transmission unit closed a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office to upgrade nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines across Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.

AEP said the upgrades will replace existing transmission lines in existing rights-of-way with new lines capable of carrying more energy. These projects are expected to create about 1,100 construction jobs, it said. The first phase will include about 100 miles of transmission lines in Ohio and Oklahoma.