2026 9/20 ACTION: Virginia MARL Direct Testimony Due Wednesday September 30th
Only Intervenors can file Direct Testimony. Direct Testimony by property owners in transmission cases describes the impacts to property, business, finances, health concerns and any other impacts to your quality of life or the use of your property (see the Transmission Row Info page for the full list) include pictures, plats, the distance of your home from the proposed line ect.
Additionally, you can include comments on the use / benefit of the line , alternatives you want the commission to consider (advanced conductors, underground HVDC using the existing easement), what you are asking the commission to do (deny the line!) and why. You can also request that if the commission approves the line that any exercise of eminent domain be conditioned on the approval of the remaining segments of the overall project in PA, MD, WV and VA as well as all Federal and State permits.
If you are a Virginia property owner affected by either segment take a look at the West VA direct testimony to get a sense of what to address/include.(See the documents labeled "direct testimony in the docket 26-0075-E-CN )
If you are an Intervenor in the VA MARL case, you can file direct testimony, but you are not required to. If you decide to file direct testimony, the format of testimony to be submitted is different in VA. The VA SCC requires a single summary page and then your testimony in question / answer format (Review direct testimony filed in recent Virginia cases)
2026 9/14 West Virginia Valley Link North Update:
- On September 15, the West VA PSC opened case FP Valley Link 26A for Valley Link North protest comments, no application has been filed
- If you don't live in WV, you can still submit comments. See the instructions for uploading a pdf document to a case. Don't spam the West VA PSC! Give them details - what you love about Wild and Wonderful West Virginia , what Valley Link North would impact and why they should deny the Valley Link North project!
- To receive email notifications when a document is uploaded to a case, see How to Register and Subscribe To A WV PSC Case.
Not sure how bad Valley Link North is?
- Read the NEPA Scoping Analysis from the PATH 765kV (Valley Link North is PATH all over again.)
- Watch AEP install a 765kV transmission line and listen to it crackle!
You can also sign West Virginia County Petitions Opposing Valley Link North
2026 9/10 ACTION: Educate Valley Link North
Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. (Links t ments to Valley Link North "addressing" your concerns. Personally, I'm not buying any of it!!
I know the urge to roll your eyes and throw it in the trashcan is hard to ignore BUT resist the temptation!! The Valley Link North map is still accepting comments and you can send emails to vlnorth@vltransmission.com
Please reply to their reply, or send an additional email or enter comments on their map the more people that call out their propaganda the better! Ask a second round of more detailed questions.
Here are some references to educate Valley Link:
- On Undergrounding a 765kV line: No one undergrounds a 765kV line, the appropriate technology is underground HVDC. Suggest they talk to their partner Dominion about the Commonwealth Energy Express their 200 mile all underground HVDC project proposed to be buried in Dominion's existing row. Or they can ask FirstEnergy about the Black & Veatch underground HVDC alternative for the PATH 765kV line in 2009 . Or point them to https://stopmarlvirginia.com/underground-hvdc for the latest projects, white papers, DOE initiatives and videos
- On EMFs: Are their executives living anywhere near an overhead 785kV line? See the Environmental Health Sciences website and others linked on https://stopmarlvirginia.com/electromagnitic-fields
- On Property Damage, Destruction of Property, Blight: Will they be testing wells before they start drilling and blasting? Will they be compensating people for everything they are restricted from using their property for as a result of the easement? See https://stopmarlvirginia.com/transmission-row-info for row impacts and restrictions
Stay engaged! Call out Valley Link Propaganda!
Other actions to take:
- Print some flyers and talk to your neighbors
- Share posts on social media
- Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. (Links to Loudoun County and Frederick County news papers)
- Sign Petitions In Opposition to the Lines
Stand up for your property rights! Silence changes nothing!
2026 9/10 West Virginia MARL/Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek Updates:
MARL Case: 26-0075-E-CN
- On September 8, the West VA PSC Staff motion submitted Direct Testimony Recommending denial of the MARL Application
- Submit your comments in opposition to the NextERA Energy 26-0075-E-CN: here
Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek Case: TBD
- First Energy has not filed its application for the Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek Segment as of 9/9
- On September 4, 2026 First Energy submitted a new NOIE for Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek in West Virginia. The new case is NOIE Potomac Edison 26C. This gives First Energy a window between October 1, 2026 and December 29, 2026 to file their Application for their segment through Jefferson County, West VA (Note: NOIE Potomac Edison 25C and NOIE Potomac Edison 25D are both expired , comments on those dockets need to be moved to the new docket.)
- Submit your opposition comments for NOIE Potomac Edison 26C: here
- Prepare for the West VA PSC Case by viewing the WATI Intervenor tutorial and by taking a look at the direct testimony filed by property owners along the MARL segment. (See the documents labeled "direct testimony in the docket 26-0075-E-CN )
2026 8/21 Update Virginia MARL/ Gore Doubs Goose Creek
MARL Case: PUR-2026-00018
- Public Hearing scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., at James Wood High School, 161 Apple Pie Ridge Road, Winchester, Virginia 22603 (Intervenors cannot speak at the public hearing.)
- September 30, 2026 - Respondent direct testimony due (Only intervenors can file direct testimony and filing it is optional)
- The Woodside Substation property lawsuit (Virginia: In the Circuit Court of Frederick County, Cyrus Abedi, et al. Plaintiffs V. NextERA Energy Transmission Virginia, Inc,. et al. defendants ; Case No. CL 26-283 ) has not been scheduled for arguments yet so the location of the substation is still in doubt.
GoreDoubsGooseCreek Case TBD
- First Energy has not filed its application for the 500kV Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek segment as of 8/20
- Contact a lawyer for legal advice. To file pro se you will need to request a Virginia SCC efiling account (This is a manual process!) Examples of Pro Se filings in Virginia SCC cases can be found here.
2026 8/21 West Virginia MARL/Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek Updates:
MARL Case: 26-0075-E-CN
- On August 19, the West VA PSC Staff filed a motion to toll (delay) the MARL case by at least 60 days or deny the application. The Staff made the motion due to route modifications that impact additional property owners whose due process rights would be violated, the cost impacts to West VA rate payers and the pending changes in cost allocation of transmission lines underway at FERC. Read their filing here
- September 8, 2026 Staff/Intervenor Direct Testimony Due
- Submit your comments in opposition to the NextERA Energy 26-0075-E-CN: here
Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek Case TBD
- First Energy has not filed its application for the Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek Segment as of 8/20
- First Energy extended their NOIE for Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek in West Virginia on June 1, 2026. This gives First Energy a window between July 1, 2026 and August 29, 2026 to file their Application for their segment through Jefferson County, West VA
- Submit your opposition comments for NOIE Potomac Edison 25D: here
- Prepare for the West VA PSC Case by viewing the WATI Intervenor tutorial
2026 8/21 Pennsylvania MARL Updates:
MARL Case: A-2026-3060856
- On August 4, the PA PSC issued an order splitting the consolidated proceedings, the siting case (A-2026-3060856 ) has been stayed and there is no schedule. The siting case will remain stayed pending the decision on the CPC [Certificate of Public Convenience] Application (Docket Nos. A-2026-3060921, G-2026-3060941, G-2026-306094) which will determine if the counties of Fayette and Greene need the services of NextERA that would grant NextERA public utility status in Pennsylvania.
2026 8/19 Alert: VA & WVA : FirstEnergy Survey and Drilling Crews Out (Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek)
First Energy survey and drilling crews out again In Frederick County, Loudoun County and Jefferson County
Know Your Property Rights / Ensure you have a no trespassing sign on your property.
At this time, neither Valley Link nor NextERA have any easements and do not have the right to enter private property without permission.
First Energy / Potomac Edison / AEP do own easements along the route, deeds are specific to the property. There are multiple transmission projects in the works and there are multiple variants in the deeds.
You can (politely) challenge the subcontractor's authority to access the easement for their stated activities and ask them to leave and come back with documentation.
If there is no easement on your property you do not have to allow access to your land at all.
If there is an easement on your property : Ensure you have the easement deed and understand what is allowed. In general you will want to verify the easement language allows the work they plan on performing for the transmission company they are working for. Also that they will be marking the easement and that all work will be done within in the easement. Usually the easements specify vegetation management and allow maintenance activities. Drilling bore holes is not generally a maintenance activity, nor is surveying outside the easement. The easement deed also names the company owning the easement and the width of the easement. First Energy may not own the easement across your property - check your deeds!
Filing / Sending / Handing Out No Trespassing Notices
1) Create a No Trespass Notice
If you have an easement on your property you will want to write a letter to describe what is allowed and what is not allowed per your deed. See the sample and modify it appropriate to your property, deed and the work they have stated they want to do.
If there is no easement on your property (or the transmission company is not the one on the deed), fill out and print multiple copies of the standard no trespassing notice from the Sheriff's office for your county.
- Loudoun County Sheriff's office No Trespass Notice
- Loudoun County No Trespass Notification Info
- Frederick County No Trespass Notice
2) Print multiple copies of the filled out form or your letter. Send the letter certified US Mail with a return receipt to the point of contact on the letter you received in the mail, and/or on your door and/or the point of contact obtained from the crew that attempted to access your property.
3) Retain a copy with the return receipt for your records which can be presented to a deputy if a violation occurs and keep copies handy and hand the letter to the individuals that stop by.
If you have questions, consult a property attorney.
Questions to ask if a subcontractor is on your property:
- What transmission project is this for?
- What Company are you working for?
- What transmission company hired your company (NextEra, Valley Link, FirstEnergy ...) ?
- What are you planning on doing?
- Please provide documentation that the easement grants the activities, described to the transmission developer you are working for.
- Ask for a business card and a contact card.
2026 8/19 : Valley Link North - What you can do
1) Review the Valley Link North Maps. Continue to send questions (vlnorth@vltransmission.com), enter comments in the Valley Link North on-line comment form or leave them a voice mail message at (304) 207-0120. If you need some pointers watch the "How-To Submit Comments" video. Alternately you can print, complete and mail the Valley Link North Comment form (keep a copy for yourself)
2) Download and fill out a Virginia No Trespassing Notification or a West Virginia No Trespassing Notification for your property and send it certified mail to Valley Link North, keep a copy of the letter and the mailing receipt. Post No-Trespassing Notices on your property. Valley Link North is not a public utility and neither they nor their subcontractors cannot access your property without your permission. Other utility companies only have access to the easement they own and should be able to produce work orders / documentation on the activity they have been contracted for. Check your deed if you have an easement, surveys and drilling activities are not maintenance.
3) If your property has any conservation easements, check the deed and notify the entity that holds the easement of the Valley Link North transmission line, the threat to your property and tell them you expect them to defend the conservation easement at the VA SCC. Example: Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Land Trust Of Virginia, Virginia Great Outdoors, the County the property is located.
4) Learn about the transmission lines impacting our area (MARL/Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek, Valley Link North), read about restrictions in transmission line easements, (wells, septic fields, barns, cemeteries ...) , learn about the VA SCC process (or the West VA PSC process), learn about Underground HVDC as an alternative to overhead HVAC lines (and sign our petition) .
5) Send letters to elected officials and news papers, attend county BOS and Planning meetings and comment during the open comment segment.
We're not lawyers. Stop MARL Virginia/Stop Valley Link has information on processes and examples on how to participate by individuals who have navigated the state processes before. Individual property owners should contact a lawyer for legal advice and determine for themselves their course of action to defend their property rights! It is not too early to contact an attorney for legal advice and to understand your options.
ALERT: Valley Link North MUST DO By or Before August 14, 2026
Valley Link North (Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point)
The routes that were shown at the open houses were initial routes for routing studies, they can and will shift and new alternatives are also likely to appear. First Energy does not have to have additional open houses and new alternatives can even appear during the VA SCC case. Case in point, the VA SCC has ordered the construction of Route 3A for the Golden-Mars transmission line. This route was never presented at an open house it was introduced by Dominion three months into the case after the deadline to intervene had already past. If you own property anywhere in the study area - Frederick , Clarke and North Western Loudoun please complete the following list of items as soon as possible.
1) Enter Comments in the Valley Link North on-line Comment form
- Read about restrictions in transmission line easements, (wells, septic fields, barns, cemeteries ...)
- Create a document identifying, everything that would be affected up to and including the loss of your home, the impact on your business, the impact on your finances, health concerns ect, list conservation easements on your property, historical information, does this effect multiple generations of your family ...be as detailed as possible.
- At the end of your draft comments please include the statement : " There are no acceptable routes for a 765kV transmission line, the appropriate technology is underground HVDC bury the line, as is being used in the 185 mile all underground Heritage to Mosby transmission line."
- Save your impact document. you will be able to use it if/when you intervene in the case at the VA SCC.
- Locate your property on the Valley Link North maps (Route Maps Available here) and cut and paste your comments into the Valley Link North comment form. If you need some pointers watch the "How-To Submit Comments" video.
- Alternately you can print, complete and mail the Valley Link North Comment form (keep a copy for yourself)
2) Download and fill out a Virginia No Trespassing Notification or a West Virginia No Trespassing Notification for your property and send it certified mail to Valley Link North, keep a copy of the letter and the mailing receipt.
3) If your property has any conservation easements, check the deed and notify the entity that holds the easement of the Valley Link North transmission line, the threat to your property and tell them you expect them to defend the conservation easement at the VA SCC. Example: Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Land Trust Of Virginia, Virginia Great Outdoors, the County the property is in.
4) Submit comments on the potential impacts to any parks, schools , churches , cemeteries ect. that you are aware of. Talk to your neighbors, friends and other groups in your county, cross post to conservation and historical groups and ask them to do the same. Anyone can enter impacts, and any property owner can send the no trespassing notice to Valley Link North to prevent them from surveying or accessing their property!
2026 7/30 Alert: PUR-2026-00018 Virginia MARL Application Procedural Dates Modified
VA SCC Case: PUR-2026-00018 NextERA MARL: This Application is for the new 200' easement from the West VA border to the handoff point in Gore, VA and the proposed Woodside substation on the rural preservation tract of the Ridgeway Subdivision in Clear Brook, Virginia.
The VA SCC Hearing Examiner has issues an order modifying the procedural schedule:
1) June 8, 2026 Deadline to Intervene as a Respondent
"Notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation electronically on counsel to the Company, Staff and all other respondents."
2) September 30, 2026 Deadline to file Direct Testimony
Each witness's testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page All testimony and exhibits shall be served electronically on Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with their filing
3) December 1, 2026 Deadline for Submitting Comments
Comments any interested person may file comments on the Application by following the instructions found on the Commission's website: scc.virginia.gov/case-information/submit-public-comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2026-00018. You can submit comments directly to the VA SCC by using the online VA SCC Comment Form for the MARL Case
4) December 1, 2026 Deadline for Signing up to speak telephonically as a Public Witness at the December 8, 2026 Public Hearing
- Public Witnesses Testimony - Telephonically at 10:00am On December 8, 2026, 5 min each sign-up by December 1, 2026 by filling out this form https://www.scc.virginia.gov/case-information/webcasting/public-witness/#d.en.25685or calling (804) 371-9141
- Update: Frederick County has requested a local public hearing Date, Location and Time are TBD **
5) December 8, 2026 Evidentiary hearing at 10:00am at the VA SCC in Richmond
Key Information from the Hearing Order
- There are no Public Witness Hearings scheduled locally in Frederick, County yet although Frederick County has requested one
- Only Property owners within 250 feet of the proposed and alternate routes will be sent notices by NextERA by May 8, 2026. NextERA is requesting a 200-foot to 500-foot siting corridor, your property may still be impacted even if you do not receive a notice from NextERA.
- "The Commission may consider a route not significantly different from the routes described in this notice without additional notice to the public."
- "NEET VA anticipates installing a total of 13 structures on the Virginia Portions of its proposed route, with typical structure heights ranging from 115 to 190 feet tall, with an average height of approximately 150 feet and an average span length between transmission structures of approximately 1,015 feet. The Company asserts that the entire 2.4 miles of right-of-way ("ROW") for the Virginia Portions of the MARL Project would require new property rights for new-build transmission line; thus, NEET VA would require new easements on 17 parcels. The Company requests that the Commission grant it the flexibility to adjust the location of its ROW within a 200-foot to 500-foot siting corridor"
- Under the DEA, NEET VA is obligated to complete the Woodside Substation by December 31, 2028, and NEET VA and NEET MA are obligated to complete the overall MARL Project and place it into service by December 31, 2031. The Company maintains that PJM has requested that NEET VA and NEET MA take all reasonable actions for obtaining approvals and completing construction of the transmission line as soon as is practicable and closer to the identified need date of 2027-2028.
2026 7/11 The MARL/Gore-DoubsGooseCreek and Valley Link lines are solely to support the data center
The chart in the picture to the left is from Sup. Turner's June 15, 2026 Data Center Growth: Our Changing Paradigm presentation, the additional 2 red lines on the right, "4.2 Gw new" are the two new 500kV lines associated with the MARL/Gore-DoubsGooseCreek project and the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP).
The Black lines are what is known as the "Data Center Loop", the three 500kV lines : Aspen Golden, Golden - Mars and Wishing Star - Mars. Notice He is are even including the new 185 mile all underground HVDC line from the south of Virginia into data center alley.
On page Pg 2: Overview: Loudoun County, VA
- Highest concentration of data centers in the world
- Home to “Data Center Alley”; construction every single day for 16 years
- 250+ data centers built; NOVA has 600+; TX 440; CA: 290
- 53 million sq. ft. built; 60 million in the pipeline
See also Sup. Turner's whitepaper Loudoun County Virginia Data Center Capital of the World "A strategy for a changing Paradigm"
Apparently we are now all just "hysterical" (Page 1), keep in mind that Supervisor Turner has been on the Loudoun County BOS since 2019 and has voted consistently for data center rezoning as well as to grandfather the 22 administrative applications so that they could build "by right" data centers - more than doubling the allowed "by right" data center sq footage to 61 Million sq feet. He also voted to add "data center" as a use to the properties re-zoned from 1973 - 1993, in case those developers wanted to build data centers as well.
Just for fun read Chapter 4: Power For the Data Center Buildout , of the Kimley - Horn, September 2024 "Power Transmission Evaluation Of Loudoun County, Virginia Due Dilligence Report", commissioned by the Loudoun County BOS.
In the recent article, in Loudoun Now, After Delays Supervisors Approve 2 Substations, Supervisor Turner is quoted as saying:" “This board approved this data center, and I personally believe and have been saying for months now, if you approve a data center, you're approving a substation, and you're approving a power line. That's not a rigid rule, but it's a pretty good one to live by." [emphasis added]
2026 5/7 Ridgeway Estates Files Injunction to Stop the Woodside Substation
The Frederick County, Virginia community of Ridgeway Estates has filed an injunction to prohibit the Woodside Substation being built on the rural preservation tract of their subdivision.
Their subdivision has HOA covenants precluding this level of development - which I was told would prevent NextERA from putting a clothesline in front of their single family home. The home owners unanimously voted to retain the covenants and refused to waive them for NextERA's purposes.
The Ridgeway Estates home owners are contending the covenants were illegally waived to enable NextERA to purchase the property for the substation. On top of that and in spite of the fact that the application for the substation puts industrial infrastructure within 40 feet of people's homes and over top of the deeded drain fields for two of the homes and the unified and vocal opposition to the substation from residents at the planning commission meeting and the Frederick County BOS meetings, the Frederick County Planning Commission found the application to be "within substantial accord" with the comprehensive plan.
Accordingly, the Ridgeway Estates homeowners have filed an injunction against NextERA, the seller of the property (Joline Orndoff and the Fairfield Farm of Frederick County LLC) and the Frederick County Board Of Supervisors. The case is in the Circuit Court of Frederick County: Cyrus Abedi, et al. Plaintiffs V. NextERA Energy Transmission Virginia, Inc,. et al. defendants ; Case No. CL 26-283
Winchester Star Article: https://www.winchesterstar.com/winchester_star/ridgeway-estates-residents-file-injunction-to-stop-substation/article_af3c4328-bc92-56c0-
2026 4/23 Action: Property Owners With Existing Easements Check Your Deeds
If you own property in Frederick County, Clarke County or Loudoun County, Virginia or Jefferson County, West VA that has an existing transmission line, find the original easement agreement and get a copy - including the plat.
The easement deed should have been filed as part of your property deed.
Check the easement specifications these often include detailed descriptions of the following:
- The electric company that owns the easement (First Energy, PEPCO, Dominion, Northern Virginia Power Company)
- Dimensions: The specific length and width of the right-of-way (ROW). Transmission tower ROWs typically range from 50 to 500 feet depending on voltage and terrain. This may be specified as an offset either side of a center line.
- Infrastructure Details: The number, placement/location, height, and design of poles, towers, H-frames as well as the voltage carried.
- Access Rights: The utility's right to enter the property for construction, maintenance, and emergency repairs.
- Vegetation Management: Explicit rights to trim or remove trees and brush within the ROW, and sometimes "danger trees" outside the primary area that could fall onto lines.
This is important information for you to have to verify the transmission developer and their subcontractors actually have been granted the right to undertake the work they are proposing.
The electric company has to abide by the legal specifications of the agreement that granted them that right-of-way across your property. These are specific to the property.
Based on the deed, you may not have to allow drilling or surveying on the easement.
You also may not have to accept different placement, height, voltage, number of lines and design of the transmission line without a new easement agreement and additional compensation.
Note: Northern Virginia Power Company is not First Energy Ask for the legal paper work to show the rights transferring to ... don't be snowed ... there would be paperwork
If you have questions, consult a property attorney.
2026 2/21 Valley Link is Two Separate 765kV Lines to support Data Centers in Northern VA
Both of these lines are 765kV on new 200' easements for the entire length. These are the biggest overhead HVAC structure and lines available. This represents a massive industrialization of rural and residential areas and a taking of private property that is entirely unacceptable. Tell Dominion, bury these lines, underground HVDC just like the proposed Heritage - Mosby 185 mile all underground HVDC "backbone"
There will be two separate applications at the Virginia SCC. Information on the VA SCC can be found on the Virginia Landowners Resources page. See Underground HVDC, EMFs, Transmission ROW Info
Valley Link North (Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point)
This proposal is a 261-mile, 765kV transmission line on a new 200' easement for its entire length. Impacting Frederick, Clarke and north western Loudoun Counties.
Valley Link South (Joshua Falls - Yeat)
This proposal is a 115-mile, 765kV transmission line on a new 200' easement for its entire length (the biggest overhead HVAC structure and line available) from Joshua Falls in Campbell County, Virginia through to a new 765kV substation in Culpepper County, Virginia. An expansion of the Joshua Falls substation in is also proposed. New 200' easements will be taken for the entire length of the line. If built, approximately 2,788 acres of property will be taken for this line.
This line impacts:
- 8 counties in Virginia - Campbell, Appomattox, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Goochland, Louisa Culpepper and Orange
Valley Link South and SMRs In The News:
- The Farmville Herald: Input sought
- CBSNews: Proposed Transmission Line Could Cross Multiple Area Counties
- Cardinal News: SMR planned for Campbell County
- CRE Daily: Goochland Development Proposal Ignites Community Backlash
There will be two separate applications at the Virginia SCC. Information on the VA SCC can be found on the Virginia Landowners Resources page. See Underground HVDC, EMFs, Transmission ROW Info
The goal is no overhead HVAC lines on anyone's property! Sign nothing without consulting a lawyer,
115 miles of transmission line and 0 easement agreements signed before the VA SCC Application is approved will send a strong message.
There will be two separate applications at the Virginia SCC. Information on the VA SCC can be found on the Virginia Landowners Resources page. See Underground HVDC, EMFs, Transmission ROW Info
We are encouraging our southern Virginia neighbors to form local opposition groups to inform their communities, oppose Valley Link South and either intervene in the Valley Link South case at the VA SCC either Pro-Se or with a lawyer.
Southern Valley Link opposition groups and contacts posted under Allies.
2025 12/12 Propaganda Alert West VA!! NextERA is buying influence and creating astro turf groups
Watch out for Next ERA's influence peddlers, propagandists and front groups! In a page taken right out of PATH's play book, Next ERA has enlisted Craig Blair to shill for the MARL/Gore-Doubs -Goose Creek project. He's the front man for the astro turf "West Virginian's for Reliable and Affordable Power". Their website even has a petition for you to add your thoughts to.
Maybe ask them how adding 8GW of new and expanding data centers to the grid in Northern Virginia makes West Virginia's grid more reliable?
How does paying over $440M (according to the May 29, 2025 report "West Virginia ratepayers footing the bill for infrastructure build out" by Cathy Kunkel of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) make energy more affordable for West Virginian?
As always, be sure to tell them where they can stick their transmission lines!
Read more about NextERA's astroturf group on the StopPATHwv blog
2025 11/17 Underground HVDC Makes the PJM short list - from Southern VA to Data Center Alley
Dominion's proposal for a 185 mile entirely underground HVDC transmission line to bring energy from the south of Virginia to the data centers in Northern Virginia has made the short list.
Underground HVDC is obviously technically feasible. Once again, PJM referred to this as the "biggest bang for our buck" they explicitly cited that they would be able to use the existing easements and followed up with all the technical reasons HVDC is the superior choice. This is the PJM favorite, even though the HVDC underground solution is 1.6x times as expensive as the overhead 765kV proposals - $4.8B vs $2.6B.
We happen to agree its the superior technology, this is exactly that folks here have been saying, citing multiple recent papers on underground HVDC, readily available and linked on our own Underground HVDC page. We have been pushing underground HVDC for MARL/Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek and Valley Link for almost three years now - for all of the exact same technical reasons plus minimizing the impact to national parks, state parks, conservation easements and 6,000+ acres of private property at risk to be taken.
Read more About Underground HVDC
Portfolio 275 1A, the underground HVDC project, proposed by our state energy monopoly Dominion, from an energy generation facility in Virginia to Dominion's customers in Loudoun County's data center alley will be paid for by the standard rate formula - 50% to the Dominion Zone and 50% spread across the rest of the rate payers in PJM. This is the status quo. Other states pay for Loudoun County's economic plan and the energy crisis Loudoun's unconstrained data center development has created. No state other than Virginia will benefit from this line - but they will pay for it.
Read StopPATHwv - West Virginian's to pay double to Bury The Line in Virginia
During the meeting, PJM also announced that the 765kV Valley Link will have a voltage collapse by 2032 - the line they are aware the line they approved last year fails before it is even built. Obviously the overhead HVAC solutions they have put in place thus far are deficient. Will they re-evaluate MARL/Gore Doubs-Goose Creek and Valley Link for a single underground HVDC solution? Nah, they will keep pushing First Energy's 50 year old I765 corporate expansion plan. PJM only selects from the pool of projects proposed - no one proposed an underground HVDC during either of those windows so we get multiple massive overhead lines. PJM "picked the best of the proposals that were submitted" and they are standing by that decision, because they are always right . Until one of the states denies the line(s) then they will be proven wrong and PJM will have to solicit bids for a new solution in a new window.
2025 8/19: Alert: Watch out for a switcheroo!
The 500kV MARL /Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek transmission line has an InService Date of 2032, the 765kV Valley Link transmission line has an InService Date of 2029!!
First Energy is already working on siting the 765kV transmission line! I've heard they expect to have open houses in the Fall. We don't know which transmission line they will be submitting an application to the Virginia SCC for first or the order they will be submitting the applications to the other states!.
2025 8/7: Action: Watch the Installation of a 765kV line on V-Structs with Guyed Wires
Please watch this video of the installation of the Wyoming - Jackson Ferry 765kV transmission line and send it to every elected official in Virginia that you know.
These are the same structures as has been proposed for Valley link and is planned to go through Frederick County, VA from Gore through Clear Brook and on through Clarke County into/through Jefferson County then the Neersville and the Lovettsville area. This is a direct result of the data center policy of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.
The Wyoming -Jackson Ferry 765kV transmission line is the only 765kV transmission line in Virginia. It connects West Virginia and Virginia and it is 90 miles long. The permitting process for that transmission line began in 1991, the final approval and Environmental Impact Statement from the Forest Service was in 2002 and the line was not energized until June of 2006.
It took fifteen (15) years to site this transmission line that is 1/3 the length of the proposed Valley Link Transmission Line!
Watch the Video of the installation of the Wyoming - Jackson Ferry 765kV transmission line
2025 7/27 Update: FERC has approved Valley Link's Incentive Rates
Thank you to everyone who wrote letters and / or signed the petition objecting to the incentive rates, these were uploaded to FERC (Docket ER25-1633 Valley Link Incentive Rates). Note that our Virginia Governor Youngkin sent comments in support.
Valley Link had requested 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 will be slowly depreciated over perhaps four decades and during that time consumers would 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! Valley Link asked the Commission to make consumers “the bank” by loaning Valley Link money during the construction period and also requested 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! And the Valley Link Proposal had no cost caps! So they can come back every year and increase the cost of the project!
Although Chairman Christie dissented, FERC approved the incentive rates (Construction Work In Progress and Abandoned Plant Incentive) and the .5% for new membership in PJM. FERC set the ROE, formula rate, formula rate protocols and 60/40 Hypothetical Capital Structure incentive for hearing and settlement proceedings. I will be participating and post an update after settlement.
Chairman Christie's dissent stated "another major problem is that FERC’s general practice in granting transmission incentives has become a “check-the-box” exercise.
He continues "For example, I have stated that the Commission’s incentives policies—particularly the CWIP Incentive, which allows recovery of costs before a project has been put into service—run the risk of making consumers “the bank” for the transmission developer; but, unlike a real bank, which gets to charge interest for the money it loans, under our existing incentives policies the consumer not only effectively “loans” the money through the formula rates mechanism, but also pays the utility a profit, known as Return on Equity, or “ROE,” for the privilege of serving as the utility’s de facto lender.
Further, just as the CWIP Incentive effectively makes consumers the bank for transmission developers, the Abandoned Plant Incentive effectively makes them the insurer of last resort as well. This incentive allows transmission developers to recover from consumers the costs of investments in projects that fail to materialize and thus do not benefit consumers. Just as consumers receive no interest for the money they effectively loan transmission developers through the CWIP Incentive, they receive no premiums for the insurance they provide through the Abandoned Plant Incentive if the project is never built. And if the CWIP Incentive is a de facto loan and the Abandoned Plant Incentive is de facto insurance—both provided by consumers—then the RTO participation adder, which increases the transmission owner’s ROE above the market cost of equity capital, is an involuntary gift from consumers. There has been and continues to be something really wrong with this picture."
If you have the time I highly recommend reading Chairman Christie's dissent
Read More on the Valley Link Rate Incentive order on the StopPATH WVA Blog