Customer Engagement & Experience
Molly Glick
Molly Glick
Energy Central Team
·Posted in Customer Engagement & Experience
Sun, Aug 9

NEWS: In PJM, the high-voltage transmission buildout is sparking resident backlash.

  • The background: Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley” needs more gigawatts to meet ballooning demand. One solution: New 765-kV lines to shuffle much-needed power from the Ohio Valley into eastern PJM. Valley Link (a joint venture between Dominion, FirstEnergy, and Transource) plans to develop nearly 400 miles of 765-kV lines in WV, MD, and VA. These include a 115-mile line spanning Central Virginia, which is estimated to cost up to $2B. 

  • The criticism: As we reported with the high-voltage buildout in Texas, some residents in the paths of proposed lines worry about possible environmental harms and impacts to their properties…and don’t want to fund the construction. Several county governments in the footprints of these lines have publicly opposed them. 

  • The response: After feedback from residents poured in, Valley Link tweaked route options in Central VA to reduce the number of homes within 500 feet of the corridor. “We aim to build transmission lines that power communities and the economy while minimizing community and environmental impacts,” the company wrote.

  • What’s next: This fall, Valley Link plans to file an application with Virginia’s State Corporation Commission for its Central VA line, while it doesn’t aim to submit applications for the multi-state line until 2027.

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