2025 3/31 Alert & Action: Send Comments to FERC on Valley Link's Incentive Rates by 5/12/2025
Call for Comments to FERC on Valley Link's Incentive Rate Intervene By April 4, 2025 Send Comments to FERC by @ May 12, 2025
FERC has set a comment and intervention deadline of April 4. However, FERC will not be deciding on this matter until at least May 14, so if you are not intervening you can continue to send your comments until about May 12, 2025.
Valley Link requests a 10.9% return on equity plus an additional .5% for its new membership in PJM Interconnection, for a total interest rate of 11.4%. The project’s $3B cost is slowly depreciated over perhaps four decades and during that time consumers will pay 11.4% on the remaining balance every year, making the final cost to ratepayers double or triple Valley Link’s actual cost to build.
The Construction Work In Progress (CWIP) in Ratebase incentive combined with the Hypothetical Capital Structure incentive will allow Valley Link to earn extra cash for its project before it is even constructed, all at consumer expense!
And the Valley Link Proposal had no cost caps ! So they can come back every year and increase the cost of the project!
Adding insult to injury, Valley Link is asking the Commission to make consumers “the bank” by loaning Valley Link money during the construction period. Valley Link also requests that the Commission make consumers “the insurer of last resort” by granting the Abandoned Plant incentive that will charge consumers for Valley Link’s investment in the project even if it is never built!
Rate payers cannot afford to pay for transmission to power data centers! There are better options for powering the expanding data centers!
2025 3/19 Loudoun County Comprehensive Planning Transmission Corridor Land Grab
Loudoun County is in the process of creating a Comprehensive Plan Amendment on transmission corridors. The proposed amendments are from the Loudoun County Transportation and Land Use Committee and include adapting policies to encourage the "grouping of these tall structures within an existing and/or expanded transmission corridor right-of-way." Loudoun County has contracted with an engineering firm (Kimley-Horn) to map all the high voltage transmission lines in the county. This targets the property of every land owner along the existing HVAC transmission lines!!
Virginia is a Dillon Rule state which means a county has no authority except what the state has granted it. Loudoun County has no authority to site HVAC transmission lines or designate transmission corridors. Loudoun County also intends to add an overlay with the transmission lines on the county map. This will have serious implications for our property values and eventually the "By Right" use of our property !
This is a power grab and a land grab on the part of the Loudoun County BOS! It is essentially re-zoning our properties for energy infrastructure for the data centers and is setting us up for loosing our properties by successive Eminent Domain takings piece by piece!
Loudoun County BOS states "we don't have the authority to site the line the VA SCC does". The fact of the matter is they are doing this to influence / pre-empt the VA SCC to have their preferred route proposed in advance of the application submission / hearing.
2025 3/18 Valley Link Transmission Files for Incentives and Formula Rate at FERC
The PJM Board Of Manager's new 765kV transmission line that was approved in spite of the obvious and unacceptable impacts to private property owners and significant impacts to national and state parks has a name - it is now the Valley Link Transmission line !
From Stop PATH West VA Blog:
- "On Friday, Valley Link Transmission filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for approval of a formula rate to collect their costs from ratepayers, along with a request to set a Return on Equity (ROE) and additional financial incentives. "
- "Applying for CPCN/CCNs from the Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia state commissions is a threshold step for Valley Link during the pre-construction phase, because obtaining CPCN/CCNs will improve Valley Link’s ability to secure the needed land rights to support the Project Portfolio. Because the PJM Board only recently approved the Valley Link Portfolio Project on February 26, 2025, Valley Link has not yet initiated the CPCN/CCN process. Valley Link faces significant time pressure to initiate the CPCN/CCN process within the next few months because CPCN/CCN proceedings in these states can be lengthy."
- "You are encouraged to intervene and/or file a comment on this proceeding. Deadline to do so is April 4."
Check back later ! More to come on how to comment and / or intervene at FERC in the Valley Link Transmission line incentive rate case!
2025 3/18 Alert & Action Maryland Urgent Write & Call Campaign (MARL-500kV)
HB1270 Vote Delayed!! This is the bill in the Maryland General Assembly that benefits NextERA, allowing them to take easements through the Western Maryland Wildlands.
Engage Mountain Maryland requests Marylanders to sign the petition, write and call their representatives!
You may also want to subscribe to their site so that you can receive direct updates and notices about what is happening concerning NextERA's segment of the MARL transmisison line through Garrett County and Allegheny County in Maryland
2025 3/17 About those Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) from Transmission Lines
As to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), the electric utility companies routinely say: nothing to see here. We disagree, particularly where multiple high voltage lines are sited on the same corridor.
Recent decisions by PJM have totally ignored and increased the health risks associated with EMF’s exposure from multiple high voltage lines on a single corridor. In August 2024, PLM approved a 500 kV line to be located in north west Loudoun County (Neersville/Lovettsville). In February 2025, PJM approved a 765 kV line for the same area, an area already burdened with a 500 kV line and a 138 kV line. Four total lines, two of which are 500kV plus the 765Kv, these are massive High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) on a corridor that may be as wide as 600 feet. The electromagnetic fields do not end at the edge of the right-of-way!
A world renowned expert on EMFs, Columbia University Professor Martin Blank (now deceased), and author of over 200 papers, submitted testimony before the SCC in the PATH litigation, Case No. PUE 2009-00043, in which he stated: “There can be no doubt that the proposed addition of the 765kV line to the existing 500kV line 138 kV lines would add to the level of EMF and thereby create additional potential risk.” Testimony at 15.
The risk of leukemia in children is real (Page. 3,6) as is “the risk to health of people in the vicinity” of the 765kV line. (Page 6). If these lines are built, a large swat of north west Loudoun will become hazardous to one’s health. Pictured chart is available here: https://emfcenter.com/what-distance-is-safe/
2025 3/13 Alert Loudoun County BOS Meeting Tuesday, March 18, 2025 Input/ Data Center Zoning Vote
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Public meeting:
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 6:00PM
Location: Board Room, First Floor
Loudoun County Government Center
1 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA 20175
Public Input session and Loudoun County BOS to vote on Data Center Zoning to remove by right zoning for data centers in areas zoned for office buildings.
BUT the BOS is going to try to grandfather all data center applications accepted before February 12, 2025 - which would allow many more to be built! Loudoun County needs to be Done With Data Centers!!
Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAM-2024-0001) Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOAM-2024-0001) Available here: https://www.loudoun.gov/5990/Data-Center-Standards-Locations
Of the 117 data center sites 40 would be exempt - almost half that is approximately 4 gigawatts of additional power (See PEC Summary of Proposed Changes) .
Attend the hearing and sign up to provide comments in person and Send Comments to the Loudoun County BOS at bos@loudoun.gov
2025 3/8 Actions Loudoun County - Appeal Property Tax Assessment, Attend Community Meeting
Virginia Actions:
1) Action By 3/14/2025: Loudoun County Residents with transmission lines on their property or in their view shed may want to file for a Review of their Property Tax Assessment , Supporting documentation from Loudoun County's direct Witness on Property Valuation impacts due to transmission lines is available on the Alerts & Actions Page
2) Action 3/19/2025: Consider attending the Between the Hills Community Association meeting on
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 7:00PM at the Between the Hills Community Center with speakers discussing zoning changes and transmission lines details on the Alerts & Actions page
3) Action ASAP: Send a letter to the Loudoun County Board Of Supervisors concerning PJM's newly approved 765kV transmission line through Western Loudoun County
2025 3/8 Actions Maryland - Petition And eMail campaign MARL-500kV
Maryland Actions: Engage Mountain Maryland has two campaigns to help stop the MARL transmission line through Western Maryland:
1) Sign their petition to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Opposing Overhead Transmission lines Available here:
Maryland DNR Petition Opposing Overhead Transmission Lines
2) Send an email to the Maryland Attorney General to review two bills benefiting NextERA Available here:
2025 3/8 PJM Board of Managers has Approved Project 262 (#708) Amos-WeltonSprings-Rocky Point 765kV
The PJM Board Of Managers has approved the 765kV transmission line in spite of the obvious and unacceptable impacts to private property owners and significant impacts to national and state parks.
If approved by West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland it will cross 216 miles on guyed-wire V-frame structures on a new 200' wide easement for its entire length. It will take at least 6,352 acres of land from rural property owners across 14 West Virginia counties, 3 Virginia counties and 1 Maryland county. It will impact 32 conservation easements plus the Monongahela National Forest, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park,Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and it will run parallel down the view shed of the Potomac River.
For communities in Jefferson County, West Virginia and western Loudoun County, Virginia, Project 262 Proposal #708 would be a THIRD HVAC transmission line through their communities and across their farms and property: the existing 500kV, a new 500kV that has not been constructed with a 138kV under built plus a 765kV, 140' to 180' tall, guyed V-lattice structure beside it! In Loudoun, 365 acres would be taken from private property owners.
This is not a reliability problem this is new load / lack of generation problem driven by Loudoun County's unconstrained build out and expansion of data centers.
Virginia can build in-state energy generation for the data centers, the data centers can build their own energy generation on-site . Better yet the data centers can build closer to generation plants that have capacity .
There are 200 data centers built and 117 in the development pipeline. According to Supervisor Turner "There has not been a single day in 14 years when a data center was not under construction in Loudoun County We have more data centers than the next six U.S. markets combined. "
This is not an "accident", this is a direct result of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors continuing to approve new data centers and data center expansion. Exemptions are approved in spite of existing zoning regulations and thus far they have also refused to fix the zoning that allows data centers "by right" under the guise of "office buildings" . Our Supervisors are not as interested in the "by right" usage of property by private property owners, who are their own constituents.
The Loudoun County BOS can fix the data center energy demand by NOT granting exemptions to zoning rules for the data centers, adding a rule constraining the energy use of land zoned for office building to the average energy use of office space . Loudoun County needs a through house cleaning every one of our board of supervisors needs to be replaced.
To really understand the extent of data center energy demand issue in Loudoun, I would recommend you read "Loudoun County Virginia Data Center Capital of the World "A strategy for a changing Paradigm" written by Supervisor Turner
The Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report on Data Centers was completed in 2024. It found that data centers’ power usage in Virginia is roughly equivalent to the electricity needs of 2 million Virginia households and is expected to double within 10 years. Within a 15 year timeframe the amount of energy that would need to be imported would increase by over 50% . This is not a sustainable situation.
2025 3/7 NextERA Routing Study for MARL-500Kv Underway in PA, WV and MD
NextERA has started working its routing study for its MARL segment through Green and Fayette counties in Pennsylvania, Preston, Monongalia, Mineral and Hampshire counties in West Virginia and Garrett and Allegany counties in Maryland
Highlights:
- New 200' ROW
- Lattice Towers with 500kV lines
- NextERA Expects to file for a CPN in PA, West VA and Maryland Q3/Q4 2025
NextERA has a survey for its study area (See Alerts & Actions). Anyone can enter comments , you do not have to enter your name, contact information or any property information. Be sure to let NextERA know they are not fooling anyone. This transmission line is for unconstrained data center growth in Loudoun County.
2025 2/21 PJM Board Meets February 24th - 26th to Vote on the New Proposal for a 765kV Transmission
The PJM Board Of Managers meets this week Feburary 24th- 26th to vote on the proposed Project 262 (#708: Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point 765kV)
If approved this would impact Loudoun County, Virginia along with 14 counties in West Virginia as well as state and federal parks.
Thank you to all who wrote letters in opposition!
ACTION NEEDED by 2/17/2025 *** New Proposal for a 765 kV Transmission Line impacts Western Loudoun
ASK PJM BOARD TO REJECT PROJECT 262 (#708: Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point 765kV)
ACTION: We need YOU to write a letter to PJM’s Board of Managers asking them to deny approval of Project 262! We need hundreds or thousands of letters (mailed or sent by email) to make a difference. Post this to your social media accounts and ask friends, relatives, co-workers and any other groups you are a part of to send emails as well! DEADLINE: Email and Letters must be received by PJM By Monday, February 17, 2025
About Project 262 (Transsource #708: Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point 765kV)
On January 7, PJM’s Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee (TEAC) stated they would recommend approval of transmission Project 262 to PJM’s Board of Managers. This project includes a 261-mile, 765kV transmission line from the John Amos power station in Putnam County, WV through 14 counties in West Virginia (Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Calhoun, Braxton, Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, Tucker, Preston, Grant, Hardy, Hampshire and Jefferson) through Frederick, Clarke and Loudoun counties in Virginia to a new substation in Frederick County, MD, to be built by 2029. This proposal is nearly identical to the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) project that we defeated in 2012. This would cross Loudoun County for about 15 miles and would take a new 200 ft. wide easement parallel to the existing transmission lines - approximately 365 acres of property in Loudoun County alone! This is the same area in Western Loudoun County that is the target of another new 500kV transmission line that was approved by PJM’s Board of Managers in August of 2024, which if built will also require taking additional easements. Again, this new transmission project is for the sole purpose of powering new data centers in Eastern Loudoun. This is for the data center's business expansion but we will be expected to sacrifice our land and perhaps our very homes and on top of that we will be paying for this line in our electric bills! .
Write a letter to the PJM Board of Managers then either forward it electronically or mail it.
=> Tell the Board of Managers your reasons for opposing the project. Include the reasons (see list below) and tell PJM’s Board your own story - impacts to your property and/or home and community, your quality of life and enjoyment of the state and national parks that would be effected. What would it mean to you if your home is seized and razed to make way for this data center extension cord.
=> Most Important Ask the Board of Managers to REJECT Project 262 (Transsource #708: Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point 765kV) Tell PJM to find a solution that does not destroy private property across Western Loudoun County as well as the Harper's Ferry National Park, the Appalachian Trail, the C&O Canal National Park and the view shed all along the Potomac River!
=> Address Letters to: The PJM Board of Managers, Mark Takahashi, Chairman and
Manu Asthana, PJM President and CEO PJM Interconnection L.L.C.
=> Mail Letters to:
The PJM Board of Managers
Mark Takahashi, Chairman and
Manu Asthana, PJM President and CEO PJM Interconnection L.L.C.
2750 Monroe Boulevard
Audubon, Pennsylvania 19403
=> Email:
• Use Subject: Opposition to Project 262 / 708 2024 Window 1 – 765kV 261-mile transmission line
• Send your letter as an email attachment to: David.Anders@pjm.com (Do not address your letter to Mr. Anders, he has no decision-making authority he only delivers the mail)
Reasons why PJM’s Board of Managers should NOT approve Project 262:
1) The project was not competitively bid or awarded. PJM utilities FirstEnergy, American Electric Power and Dominion made a joint proposal in order to thwart competition and fix prices. The utilities did not have to compete with each other to propose a project that was "cost effective" for ratepayers, and the project bid did not include any cost caps. Even then, project is under bid as it is based on "cheaper" Guyed V-lattice tower construction which will not work due to terrain. Guyed V-lattice towers are possibly the foulest, most land use restrictive, intensive and invasive electric infrastructure available!
2) PJM’s Constructability and Financial Analysis of the project was not performed as required. PJM’s stated process for the analysis required a review of land use mapping that identified residences within both 100 feet and 250 feet of the proposed line, along with identification of conservation easements, public land, and historic structures and districts in acres and the count as well as a Public Lands mapping review with types, acreage and counts (etc). PJM did not perform this analysis at all.
3) PJM’s maps of the project claim the project will be built on existing easements when PJM has stated that it will require a new easement for its entire 261-mile length. The proposed route crosses 15 miles of private property and conservation easements in Western Loudoun County that would be subject to eminent domain taking for a new 200' easement. This is another @365 acres of private property just in Loudoun to be taken to support data center expansion. This will have a devastating effect on property owners all along the route.
4)The project will cross the Monongahela National Forest, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park,Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and it will run parallel down the view shed of the Potomac River and will destroy the scenic and historic value of these assets.
5) Project 262 was rated the most risky project for its In-Service Date of 2029 due to both schedule and constructability risks. PJM’s Reliability Report states that PJM is attempting to manage this risk by extending the In Service Date to 2032.
6)The project is another extension cord to export coal-fired electric resources from West Virginia's aging coal generation plants (in this case John Amos built in 1971) into Virginia.
7) Project 262 is NOT the only solution for transmission nor is transmission the only solution for the data center expansion / projected energy load in Loudoun County, Virginia.
2025 1/18 New PJM Proposal - 765kV Transmission Line across Western Loudoun (aka Valley Link)
New Proposal Transsource #708: Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point 765kV
This is another transmission extension cord for more Eastern Loudoun County data centers - a 765kV transmission line (the biggest structure and line available) to plug into the John Amos Power plant in West Virginia. The proposal is nearly identical to the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) project that we defeated in 2012.
It is proposed to cross 14 counties in West Virginia (Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Calhoun, Braxton, Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, Tucker, Preston, Grant, Hardy, Hampshire and Jefferson) 3 counties in Virginia (Clarke, Frederick and Loudoun) and end in Frederick County, Maryland at a new substation south of the existing Doubs substation.
This time the joint proposal by FirstEnergy, American Electric Power and Dominion Energy is based on "cheaper" Guyed V-lattice tower construction. Guyed V-lattice towers are possibly the foulest, most land use restrictive, intensive and invasive electric infrastructure available! This would cross Loudoun County for about 15 miles and will take a new 200 ft. wide easement parallel to the existing Mount Storm - Doubs transmission lines, taking approximately 365 acres of property in Loudoun County alone!
This is the same area in far Western Loudoun County that is the target of the new 500kV transmission line that was approved by PJM’s Board of Managers in August of 2024 (Alternate MARL Re-Route) which is expected to take additional easements as well! This will be a third transmission tower even bigger than the other two - a 500kV plus a 500kV with a 138kV underbuild plus a 765kV beside it !
2025 1/17 Mid-Atlantic NIETC Corridor Cancelled => No Federal Backstop !
The U.S. Department of Energy cancelled 7 out of 10 proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors - the Mid-Atlantic NIETC was one of those that were cancelled!
Thank you to everyone who wrote and sent comments to the DOE!
Unfortunately, every three years the DOE will be making another transmission stud , take new proposals from the energy companies and go through this process again. So keep your comments handy- we may be right back here opposing a 'new' Mid-Atlantic NIETC in 2026 . We still need congress to amend Section 216 of the Energy Policy Act to remove NIETCs completely. Although the Federal backstop ability has been removed, we still have a fight in Loudoun County the 500kV MARL line is still in PJM's plan and the transsion companies are expected to ramp up the project in 2025. On top of that Loudoun continues to approve new data centers and the data centers continue to expand.
Only 3 of the potential NIETCs are moving to Phase 3 of the designation process are:
- Lake Erie-Canada Corridor, including parts of Lake Erie and Pennsylvania
- Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor, including parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and a small portion of western Oklahoma
- Tribal Energy Access Corridor, including central parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and five Tribal Reservations
The following potential NIETCs announced in Phase 2 are NOT moving forward in the designation process:
- New York-New England
- New York-Mid-Atlantic
- Midwest-Plains
- Mid-Atlantic
- Delta-Plains
- Mountain-Northwest
Mid-Atlantic NIETC Cancelled => NO Federal backstop if any state denies the MARL (500kV) Transmission line or the Valley Link (765kV) transmission Line thr Federal Government will not have the authority to site the transmission line either!
2024 7/9 MARL Alternative (500kV) is still Greenfield its just pushed into far Western Loudoun
The Loudoun County BOS , our Loudoun delegates , Waterford, Piedmont Environmental Council and LTLA have gotten PJM to propose an alternative to MARL. Its an additional 167.48M for PJM rate payers, on top of that it is still a greenfield line in Western Loudoun its just on someone else's property !!!
MARL Alternative was briefed at the July 9th PJM TEAC (pgs 40 - 45 : PJM Reliability Analysis Update – item 10, July 9,2024 . The MARL Alternative moves the transmission line from the green fields in rural mid-Western Loudoun County to the green fields in rural far Western Loudoun County parallel to the existing Mt.Storm - Doubs line, across the Potomac through green fields parallel to existing lines in Frederick County Maryland plus a brand new 2 mile pure green field corridor around Doubs which is Frederick / Montgomery Counties then another green field segment parallel the existing transmission lines through Montgomery County to the Doubs - Aspen Potomac crossing point . Miraculously enough Dominion Energy has somehow found a way to stack 3 500kv lines in the existing easement between the Potomac and the Aspen substation .
I attended the PJM TEAC telecon and asked: Will you (NextERA, FirstEnergy, PJM) be providing a legally binding contract, to property owners adjacent to or with existing transmission lines on their property, stating that no additional easements will be requested? Their answer was no, they will be taking an additional 75' to 100' or more depending on local conditions, by eminent domain from property owners along the existing lines. There is an additional 2 mile segment in Maryland around the Doubs substation that will be an entirely new green field corridor.
DO NOT Let politicians or the Waterford Foundation, the Piedmont Environmental Council or LTLA gas-light you into thinking this line will be built "within the existing easements". There is no commitment or legally binding agreement from the energy company to build it "within existing easements" this is propaganda.
The MARL Transmission line will take a "greenfield" easement from every landowner / property it crosses no matter where it is routed - unless it is routed along existing highway easements.
I also asked: Did NextERA look at any other geographic areas apart from what was recommended by the Loudoun County BOS such as Highways? For example Route 7 crosses from West VA to VA across the Appalachian Trail and directly into Data Center Alley - The Aspen – Golden line is being built on Route 7. The Appalachian trail crossing at route 7 is ugly and hazardous – the National Park Service would be may be agreeable to adding a transmission line in that easement if improvements such as a raised pedestrian bridge were added. There are also crossings of the Appalachian at Route 9 and Route 50. The answer was no other routes were looked at.
The recently published paper by Mike Turner, Loudoun County Supervisor for Aspen, Loudoun County Virginia Data Center Capital of the World "A strategy for a changing Paradigm" specifically states that Route 7 is a viable transmission route into "Data Center Alley"
- Page 13: "The previously mentioned Aspen/Golden line would run along Rte. 7, a heretofore unthinkable routing Loudoun County Boards for the previous 25 years had sworn would never happen. ...
- Page 14: "... a second line down Rte. 7 is probably next up. After that, Dominion will have likely used the last available routing to “Data Center Alley” that won’t require using eminent domain"
Our elected politicians would rather have the property of their constituents along the Potomac as well as the properties of citizens living in 2 counties of a nieghboring state taken by eminent domain, to support data centers they approved, rather than have a transmission line built along a commuter highway that already has transmission lines on it and directly accesses "Data Center Alley".
PJM's next reading of the scope change pushing into far Western Loudoun and Maryland will be at the PJM TEAC Tuesday August 6th, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
2024 6/10 Submit comments to DOE on the Mid-Atlantic NIETC Corridor by June 24th
Submit your comments opposing the Mid-Atlantic NIETC! If the Mid-Atlantic NIETC is approved , this would allow the federal government to site the MARL Transmission line using federal eminent domain in the event the transmission line was denied by any of the states (Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia).
NextERA would not have submitted this project for an NIETC Corridor unless they intended to take private property by eminent domain.
2024 5/11 MARL Selected to proceed to Phase 2 of the NIETC Corridor Designation Process
NextERA submitted the geographic area where MARL is being sited (most of Western Loudoun) to the DOE to request a NIETC Corridor (National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor) . If approved , this would allow the federal government to site the line using federal eminent domain in the event the transmission line was denied by the states (Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia).
NextERA would not have submitted this project for an NIETC Corridor unless they intended to take private property by eminent domain.
2023 12/05 PJM Interconnection Approves 500kV Transmission Line through Western Loudoun County
PJM has approved over $5 billion in new transmission lines to support the projected 7,500 megawatts of new data centers in both Maryland and Northern Virginia as well as to compensate for the planned retirement of 11,000 MW of fossil fuel generation in its eastern region.
Many of the lines proposed to support the data centers traverse Loudoun County. The largest one is the NextEra Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link (MARL) 500kV transmission line.