Jacobs Wins AEP Transmission Program Delivery Role Across Seven States

Jacobs has been selected by American Electric Power (AEP ) to provide integrated program delivery services supporting the utility’s expanding transmission portfolio across its seven-state Eastern region, the Dallas-based company announced on October 29, 2026. Over the next five years, the collaboration will help AEP execute its planned $37 billion transmission investment, according to Jacobs, which described AEP as the largest electric transmission system operator in the United States.

Jacobs’ scope covers end-to-end project delivery for a portfolio of transmission infrastructure projects across Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. Delivery is underway and will continue to ramp up to support AEP’s growing project portfolio, the company said.

Under the arrangement, Jacobs will support AEP across project management, project controls, engineering and design, siting, outreach, right-of-way and environmental services. Jacobs will lead an integrated team that includes ORC, GFT and RC Commonwealth, a combination the company said brings decades-long experience with AEP’s design standards, nationwide right-of-way services and engineering and program delivery capabilities. PA Consulting, a Jacobs company, will also support innovation initiatives aligned with AEP’s long-term strategic objectives, and the team will support AEP’s vision for standardized, scalable delivery of its transmission portfolio.

“Growing electricity demand is driving significant investment in the transmission infrastructure needed to support reliable, resilient energy systems,” Jacobs Chair and CEO Bob Pragada said. “Our integrated delivery model will help AEP standardize and scale project delivery across its growing portfolio, advancing performance across critical transmission projects.”

AEP’s Expanded $100 Billion Capital Plan

The selection came one day after AEP reported third-quarter 2026 results on October 28, 2026 and announced an expanded $100 billion five-year capital plan through 2031. The Columbus, Ohio-based utility said the updated plan is expected to support a rate base compound annual growth rate of 13% plus through 2031, with its overall rate base expected to grow to $162 billion by that year.

Building on its position as the nation’s largest owner and operator of transmission, AEP said it plans to invest approximately $37 billion in transmission assets as part of the new capital plan, and it expects its transmission rate base to nearly double and approach $70 billion by 2031. The company also plans to invest $36 billion in generation resources across its portfolio through 2031 to meet increased demand that it said is backed by long-term customer contracts. Approximately $22 billion of capital is planned for distribution, with those investments focused on increasing the reliability and resiliency of the grid.

AEP reported 15 gigawatts of new load commitments signed during the third quarter and said its incremental contracted load is expected to grow to 84 gigawatts by 2031, with projects counted only when backed by fully executed electric service agreements or letters of agreement. Fully executed take-or-pay electric service agreements in AEP’s vertically integrated states are now expected to generate up to $21 billion in fixed cost offsets for existing residential customers over the life of the contracts, the company said, an increase from $16 billion.

For the third quarter, AEP reported GAAP earnings of $1,187 million, or $2.18 per share, compared with $972 million, or $1.82 per share, in the same period of 2025, and operating earnings of $1,216 million, or $2.23 per share, compared with $963 million, or $1.80 per share, a year earlier. The company said it expects full-year 2026 operating earnings to be at or above the high end of its guidance range of $6.25 to $6.55 per share. Alongside the capital plan, AEP introduced an expected annual operating earnings per share growth rate of 9% to 11% from 2027 through 2031, with a compound annual growth rate of greater than 10% through 2031 measured from the original 2026 guidance midpoint of $6.30 per share, and issued operating earnings guidance ranges of $6.75 to $7.05 per share for 2027 and $7.40 to $7.70 per share for 2028.

Prior Transmission Work

Jacobs said the award builds on its work supporting transmission modernization and major energy infrastructure programs across North America. The company served as Owner’s Engineer for Project Hostos, an HVDC subsea interconnector between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and has supported the Bonneville Power Administration’s Grand Coulee Modernization Program. Jacobs said it ranks among the top firms globally in power, transmission and distribution and in overall design, pointing to its ability to deliver complex energy infrastructure at scale.