First Energy has filed Intent Notice in WV intends to file Application in Early December 2025

OVERVIEW of Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link (MARL) 500kV / Gore - Doubs - Goose Creek (500kV)

MARL is part of the over $5 billion in new transmission lines approved by PJM to support the projected 7,500 megawatts of new data centers in Northern Virginia as well as to compensate for the planned retirement of 11,000 MW of fossil fuel generation in its eastern region.

MARL starts at the 502 Junction and is a giant extension cord from West Virginia’s coal fired plants - specifically the Fort Martin Power Station, Harrison Power Station and the Mitchell Power Station - into the ‘heart’ of Loudoun County's data center alley in Northern Virginia. All three of these generators are coal-fired and together total nearly 5,000 MW of capacity and according to PJM have excess capacity that can be tapped to support the development of new data centers (@117 )and expansion of the existing 200 data centers. Four transmission companies will be building segments of this line : NextERA, FirstEnergy, Dominion & PG&E across four states.

Both of the First Energy of power plants are reaching the end of their useful life within the next 10 to 15 years, at best this is a partial / temporary solution to the present energy shortfall in Virginia's data center region. A better solution would be for the Data Centers to locate closer to the generation plants with excess capacity or to build additional generation in Virginia to meet the demand.

PJM doesn't have a transmission reliability issue, the region has a lack of base load generation in Virginia issue.

If approved in all 4 states, this line will traverse :

2 Counties in Pennsylvania: Greene County and Fayette County
5 counties in West Virginia: Preston County, Monongalia County, Mineral County, Hampshire County and Jefferson County
4 Counties in Maryland Garrett County, Allegany County, Frederick County and Montgomery County
2 Counties in Virginia: Frederick County and Loudoun County

NextERA 's portion of the transmission line is called Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link (MARL) through :

2 Counties in Pennsylvania: Green and Fayette counties
4 Counties in West Virginia : Preston , Monongalia, Mineral and Hampshire counties
1 County in Virginia: Frederick County
2 Counties in Maryland: Garrett and Allegany counties

Next ERA Project Maps can be found here: MARL Project Map

First Energy's portion of the transmission line is called Gore-Doubs-GooseCreek through :

1 County in West Virginia: Jefferson County
3 Counties in Virginia: Frederick, Clarke and Loudoun Counties

First Energy Project Maps can be found here: First Energy Interactive Map

Dominion Energy is building a segment in eastern Loudoun from the Potomac River to the Golden Substation this segment is approximately 3 miles and will be entirely within the existing easement.

At the request of Loudoun County, PJM moved a portion of the transmission line farther out into western Loudoun County and into Maryland. The Alternate MARL Route was approved by PJM in August of 2024, this route crosses 15 miles of far Western Loudoun along the Potomac River crosses the Potomac River into Maryland and runs through Frederick and Montgomery counties in Maryland before crossing the Potomac River back into Loudoun County near Ashburn. This added $167M in cost, pushed the in-service date to 2032 and added two additional segments:

First Energy is to build the portion of the transmission line that is through Frederick County and Montgomery County, Maryland
Dominion is to build a segment in Loudoun County from the Potomac River into Loudoun County to Data Center Alley

This transmission line will also 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.

What You Can Do

Neither the MARL nor the Gore - Doubs - Goose Creek Transmission Line applications have been submitted to the VA SCC (as of July 28, 2025) nor have applications been filed in any other states.

Check out the Alerts & Action page for opportunities to participate, speak out , and make your voice heard!

If your property is impacted, get ready to intervene at the Virginia SCC by requesting an eFiling account. You do NOT need a lawyer you can intervene "pro se" and represent yourself!

There will be 8 transmission permitting cases across 4 states!

Status Of State Corporation Commission Applications:

Pennsylvania :

1) NextERA - MARL

Impacts : Green County & Fayette Counties

PA PUC Case Number: TBD

Status: Application Has Not Been filed

West Virginia

2) NextERA - MARL

Impacts: Preston, Monongalia, Mineral &

Hampshire Counties

WVA PSC #: NOIE NextERA Energy 25A

Status: Application to be filed in December comments are being accepted here

Submit comments for BOTH West VA cases its the same line!

3) First Energy - Gore - Doubs - Goose Creek

Impacts: Jefferson County

WVA PSC #: NOIE Potomac Edison 25C

Status: Application to be filed in December comments are being accepted here

Submit comments for BOTH West VA cases its the same line!

Virginia:

4)NextERA - MARL

Impacts: Frederick County

VA SCC Case Number: TBD

Status: Application Has Not Been filed

5) First Energy - Gore - Doubs - Goose Creek

Impacts: Frederick, Clarke & Loudoun Counties

VA SCC Case Number: TBD

Status: Application Has Not Been filed

6) Dominion - TBD

Impacts: eastern Loudoun County

WVA PSC Case Number: TBD

Status: Application Has Not Been filed

Maryland:

7) NextERA - MARL

Impacts: Garrett And Allegheny Counties

MD PSC Case Number: TBD

Status: Application Has Not Been filed

8) First Energy - Gore - Doubs - Goose Creek

Impacts: Frederick & Montgomery Counties

MD PSC Case Number: TBD

Status: Application Has Not Been filed

Find out more about eFiling at the Virginia SCC

Woodside Substation Proposal

The Woodside substation is part of the MARL / Gore-Doubs-Goose-Creek Project.

Below is the Frederick County Virginia Staff Report on the NextERA Woodside substation proposal.

NextERA could't have put together a fouler proposal if they tried.

Its a 30 acre 500kV substation on a 72 acre lot which is a combination of 2 properties, one of which is a Rural Preservation Tract from the Ridgeway Estates Subdivision
The comprehensive plan changes in 2023 marked this area for future (2035) light industry development
The substation comes within 40 feet of established homes and will destroy the equity those landowners have in their homes. The site plan locates the substation closer to the homes than to Route I81.
NextERA stated they choose this site because there were already transmission lines on it and this was the only farmer in the area willing to sell his property to them.

The Woodside substation is not in substantial accord with Frederick County's Comprehensive Plan for the following reasons:

The purpose of the comprehensive plan is : “guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the territory which will, in accordance with present and probable future needs and resources, best promote the health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and general welfare of the inhabitants.” NextERA's proposal for a 500kV transmission substation 40 feet from existing homes does not meet this criteria. A substation such as this will be an eyesore and blight on the community, the lights and noise and EMFs radiating from this site will be a clear detriment to the health and welfare of the residents. It will destroy the equity the adjacent home owners have in their properties - which is clearly a detriment to their welfare and individual prosperity as well. There is no electric generation facility here and Frederick County is not a load delivery point for any of the lines that will connect to it. As a point of fact, there are no connections to any load in Frederick County along those existing HVAC lines! Frederick County is a pass through to Loudoun County's Data Center Alley.
There is no mitigation for current residential properties. Just because in 2023 an area was shaded "blue" for future light industrial use in 2035 does not mean a 30 acre substation is in accord with that plan 2 years later! This will gut the home equity of every property in that neighborhood now! This is not a gradual transmission to industrial use. There are protections for the homeowners that would enable equal use and enjoyment of their properties. This severely degrades the quality of life for these residents. The original intent of the existing Rural Preservation Tract for the Ridgeway Estates Subdivision (Jolene Lane) was for agricultural purposes or to preserve natural and environmental features residents and homeowners in this area to enjoy. This is the wrong location for a 30 acre substation.
NextERA's proposal is an industrial use but it is not a light industrial business.The focus for the future is office and industrial business development opportunities to ensure employment opportunities. This substation will take up 70 acres but does not produce jobs. It is an industrial use but it is not a light industrial business and it certainly cannot be described as a light industrial use either! Offices, contractors, garages, are suitable a 500kV transmission substation is not! This proposal would remove valuable real-estate envisioned for businesses that create jobs from ever serving that purpose. Once this property becomes a 500kV transmission substation it will never be reclaimed and will likely be expanded to the entirety of the 72 acres over time. A key goal of the comprehensive plan is to promote desirable businesses and industrial uses the targeted industries are : Light Industrial, Pharmaceutical & Medicine Manufacturing, Scientific Research & Development, and Lab Services, Business Services, Retail, Federal & State Facilities, Healthcare & Health Service. Additionally, the Clear Brook area is one of the counties key locals for prime agricultural soils, making it a significant draw for future agro-tourism businesses.

Download Frederick County Staff Report - Woodside Substation

HVDC Underground Could Be used for the MARL / Gore -Doubs- Goose Creek 500kV Transmission Line

In 2009 During the PATH Case PJM Commissioned Black & Veatch to do an HVDC Study

There were two concepts. The most interesting one was Concept 2 - HVDC Underground

Concept 2 was to use HVDC Underground along the Mt Storm - Doubs line through Jefferson County, West VA and Loudoun County , VA and into Frederick , MD from Welton Springs to Kemptown, Maryland

This is the same location PJM has proposed to locate MARL (500kV) and Valley Link (765kV) through Jefferson County, West VA and the Lovettsville / Neersville Area in Loudoun County

It would have cost 2x the overhead 765kV option back in 2009, since these transmission lines are needed for the data centers , the data centers should be required to pay the difference between the HVAC overhead option and the HVDC Underground Option. Underground HVDC is much cheaper than underground HVAC . Underground HVAC cannot be used for long distances , HVDC can.

Also HVDC does not have the Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF) health issues that HVAC does

Recent studies by NextGen Highways indicate the price has come down significantly and the installation space is smaller now. There is no reason for pushing multiple massive 765kV and 500kV lines across thousands of acres of private property.

PJM needs to be required to do an HVDC study for its multi-state transmission lines

Read The 2009 PJM TEAC HVDC Study Charts

Alternatives TO The MARL Transmission Line

Alternate Routes Along Highways

One of the reasons for the selected primary route for the MARL transmission line is to use an existing Appalachian Trail crossing. There are three highways (Route 7, Route 9 and Route 50) that also cross the Appalachian Trail to the south / south west of the existing Mt. Storm - Doubs transmission line crossing. "Data Center Alley" - the destination for all this power is on Route 7. Additionally, both Route 7 and Route 9 run directly to / towards "Data Center Alley". Using highway easements of any one of these would avoid taking private property to host the MARL transmission line. NextGen Highways advocates for using existing highway ROWs to co-locate infrastructure such as transmission lines ,they can be contracted with to study the feasibility of routing transmission lines along highways. In 2022 NextGen Highways did a feasibility study for Minnesota Department of Transportation for Buried High Voltage Direct Current Transmission. The study concluded buried HVDC is cost competitive.

High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)

HVDC lines can be buried underground in a right of way that is only 5ft wide by 5ft deep and can be used for both long and short distances. In 2022 NextGen Highways did a feasibility study for Minnesota Department of Transportation for Buried High Voltage Direct Current Transmission. The study concluded buried HVDC is cost competitive. There are about seven recent HVDC transmission projects on the United States many of which contain significant segments that are buried.

MARL/Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek Environmental Impacts

This proposal impacts 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 severely impact / destroy the scenic and historic value of these assets.

The MARL/ Gore Doubs-GooseCreek project follows a portion of the same route as the 2010 PATH Transmission line (which was defeated) Through West VA and Virginia into Maryland. In 2010 National Park Service did a scoping analysis and an Environmental Impact Statement .

In addition , the segment through Garrett and Allegheny Counties in Maryland expands the easements in Big Savage Mountain Wildland and Bear Pen Wildland by 200' and adds a new 200' easement through Dan's Mountain Wildland (See comments to the MD General Assembly below)

Download National Parks Service Scoping Study PDF

First Energy has filed Intent Notice in WV intends to file Application in Early December 2025