ROANOKE, Va. – 10 News is taking a closer look at AEP's expansion of Appalachian Power in downtown Roanoke.
On Monday, Gov. McAuliffe announced the power company will hire more than 100 new people to help upgrade the power grid. Those jobs will be focused on engineering and project management. A company spokesperson says as towers and substations continue to age and coal powered plants become less common, those jobs are needed.
"The main reason we are doing this work is to create a reliable system for our customers, not just now but long into the future," said John Shepelwich, Appalachian Power spokesperson.
Appalachian Power is also transferring about 100 employees from the John Vaughan Center.