Appalachian Power buys Henry County’s Patriot Centre II

Appalachian Power purchased the entirety of Henry County‘s Patriot Centre II, about 1,202 acres, for $1.2 million Monday, said Henry County Administrator Dale Wagoner.

The utility is considering options for what to do with the large undeveloped land parcel, according to George A. Porter, a spokesperson for Appalachian Power, which serves about 550,000 customers in a section of Virginia spanning from Lynchburg to far Southwest Virginia.

“There are no confirmed plans to share at this time,” he wrote in an email.

“We’re always looking for ways to strengthen our long-term operations and better serve our customers,” Brian Abraham, president and chief operating officer of Appalachian Power, said in a news release distributed by Henry County May 21. “This purchase represents a direct strategic investment in our future, and we’re proud to play a role in supporting growth across the region.”

The Henry County Industrial Development Authority purchased the land, previously known as the Bryant Property, in 2007, for about $2.3 million, according to property records. The county’s goal for the site was to expand the Patriot Centre industrial park in order to offer companies a choice of sites in the county, according to local news reports at the time.

In 2025, the IDA entered into a purchase agreement for the property with a then-undisclosed company for $50,000. Wagoner confirmed Friday that the agreement was with Appalachian Power, a subsidiary of  Ohio-based American Electric Power, a publicly-traded company.

More than 250 acres of the property are in a conservation easement, which provides a buffer to a residential area, according to Wagoner.

“Appalachian Power is a well-established and valued partner in our community,” Henry County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Adams said in a May 21 news release. “We appreciate their continued investment in Henry County and their role in supporting the infrastructure necessary for future economic opportunity.”

The Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation assisted with the project.

Occupants of the original Patriot Centre include Pennsylvania-based Nathan Trotter, a supplier and recycler of tin and tin alloy products; Tennessee-based Eastman Chemical, a specialty materials company; and Pennsylvania-based Howmet Aerospace, which provides engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries. That park has about 300 available acres, according to Wagoner.