Regional grid operator supports major transmission project that could span nine counties to meet rising demand, but residents and officials raise concerns over routing and cost.
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A major new transmission project aimed at meeting Virginia’s growing energy demands is moving forward, as regional grid operator PJM has approved plans for a 115-mile high-voltage power line stretching from Lynchburg to Culpeper County.
PJM, which manages energy for 13 states, has given the go-ahead for Dominion Energy, in partnership with Transource and FirstEnergy called Valley Link — to build the 765 kV transmission line. The line would be able to carry as much as 6,600 megawatts of power. The companies say the project is crucial to maintaining grid reliability.
The proposed line would extend existing infrastructure in Appalachian Power territory and would cross up to nine counties before terminating at a new substation planned for the southwestern corner of Culpeper County. There, the voltage would be stepped down and distributed further. The project remains in the early stages of planning and permitting, but the companies anticipate a 2029 completion date for the estimated $1 billion project.
While a preferred route has not yet been selected — and it will likely be months before the State Corporation Commission reviews the case and selects a final route — residents across Campbell, Appomattox, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Louisa, Orange, Goochland, Spotsylvania, and Culpeper counties have been turning out in large numbers for public hearings and informational meetings.
The project would become the largest transmission line in Dominion’s territory, helping move more power from the Ohio Valley to the eastern portion of PJM — particularly Northern Virginia, where the data center industry and other energy demands have surged in recent years.
“PJM identified where there is unmet load demand and this project was identified through that process,” said Craig Carper, a spokesman for Valley Link Transmission.
On Monday, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors passed an official resolution opposing the project’s route through the mostly rural county. Two of the potential routes run directly through Louisa. The resolution read in part that the 160-foot metal structures for the line would “cause significant and irreparable harm to Louisa County’s rural character, agricultural heritage, and forestlands.”
Board Chairman Duane Adams said the county was not consulted on the proposed routes for the transmission lines. While the county does have three data centers currently in development, Adams said that those decisions were planned and approved locally by the board.
“I don’t see any benefit to Louisa County to have these 765 kV lines coming through the county,” Adams said. “It’s also interesting to me that while Northern Virginia counties get the economic impact, it seems to be the expectation that central and south side Virginia will be the ones to provide the power.”
Adams said he sent a letter to all the leaders in all affected counties inviting them to Louisa for a summit in April aimed at unifying their messaging around community concerns and other issues they want to raise with the utilities.
“It is my belief that by working together as a group, we can have a greater impact on the outcome of this project and potentially impact the routing and installation which could minimize the impact on our counties and our citizens,” Adams wrote in the letter.
Valley Link officials said that the transmission line will be built with flexibility – allowing distribution lines and power generation facilities to connect to it in the future.
“If you had a new load demand, say a data center campus that popped up in Buckingham County, right?,” said Adam Maguire with Valley Link. “Buckingham County has a couple 230 kV lines running through it. But you would need a large amount of reinforcement if you were going to supply a data center load in Buckingham.”
Valley Link is holding a series of informational meetings across the affected region to gather feedback on potential route changes and other concerns. The group plans to return in June, with updates based on that input and expects to select a preferred route in September to present to the SCC. The review process is expected to take about a year before regulators make a final decision on the project.
Dominion customers will be responsible for a portion of the project’s cost, with PJM determining how expenses are allocated among participating utilities. How much customer bills will increase remains unclear and will ultimately be decided by the SCC, which will determine how costs are distributed across different rate classes.
