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No Valley Link applications have been filed at any State Commission yet
No Valley Link applications have been filed at any State Commission yet
No Valley Link applications have been filed at any State Commission yet
No Valley Link applications have been filed at any State Commission yet
No Valley Link applications have been filed at any State Commission yet
No Valley Link applications have been filed at any State Commission yet
Valley Link : Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point (765kV)
Valley Link : Amos - Welton Springs - Rocky Point 765kV
This proposal is a 261-mile, 765kV transmission line (the biggest HVAC structure and line available) 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)
- 3 counties in Virginia ( Clarke, Frederick and Loudoun ) and
- into Frederick County, Maryland where it will terminate at a new substation south of the existing Doubs substation.
The proposal states it is to be built by 2029 to meet data center load demands.
This 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 north western Loudoun County for about 15 miles and will take a new 200 ft. wide easement parallel to the existing Mount Storm - Doubs transmission lines. It would take approximately 365 acres of property in Loudoun County alone - devastating private property owners!
It would 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 . It will severely impact / destroy the scenic and historic value of these assets.
This is the same area in north western Loudoun County, along the Potomac River that is the target of the proposed new 500kV transmission line (MARL / Gore-Doubs- Goose Creek) that was approved by PJM’s Board of Managers in August of 2024. Frederick County and Clarke, Virginia and Hampshire County and Jefferson County, West VA and Frederick County, Maryland are also similarly effected with both transmission lines.
Again, this new 765kV transmission project is for the sole purpose of powering new data centers in eastern Loudoun - another transmission extension cord to West Virginia.
The proposal is nearly identical to the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) project that we defeated in 2012.
At best this is a partial / temporary solution to the present projected energy shortfall in Loudoun County. With the recent JLARC Data Center Study done for the Virginia Legislature its clear that Virginia cannot import its way out of its self imposed energy crisis.
What You can Do to Help
No Valley Link Transmission Line applications been submitted to any state corporation commission yet .
First Energy has not scheduled or held open houses in any state yet
Check out the Alerts & Actions page for opportunities to participate, speak out , and make your voice heard!
If your property is in Virginia, 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 3 transmission permitting cases across 3 states!
Status Of State Corporation Commission Applications:
West Virginia
1) First Energy (14 Counties Impacted)
WVA PSC Case Number: TBD
Status: Application Has Not Been filed
Virginia (3 Counties Impacted):
2) First Energy
VA SCC Case Number: TBD
Status: Application Has Not Been filed
Maryland (1 County Impacted) :
3) First Energy
MD PSC Case Number: TBD
Status: Application Has Not Been filed
Please watch thESE videOS this is what is BEING planned
WYOMING STATION - JACKSON FERRY 765 KV - TRANSMISSION LINE
The only 765kV transmission line built between WV and VA was the 90 mile Wyoming - Jackson Ferry 765kV line. The permitting process for it began in 1991, the final approval and Env. Impact Statement from the Forest Service was in 2002 and the line was not energized until June of 2006. Fifteen 15 years for a transmission line that is 1/3 the length of the proposed Valley Link line.
Listen to the sound of a 765kV transmission line
Listen to the sound of a 765kV transmission line
HVDC Underground could be used for the Valley Link 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
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
Valley Link Environmental Impacts
This project follows the exact same route as the 2010 PATH Transmission line (which was defeated)
It 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.
In 2010 National Park Service did a scoping analysis and an Environmental Impact Statement .
Valley Link (765kV)
Posts from other opposition groups
Letter to PJM in Opposition to Proposal #262 (#708) 765kV
PJM 2024 Window 1 Documents - Proposal 262/#708 765kV
PJM documents refer to this transmission line as Proposal 262/#708 765kV
This transmission line has been named "Valley Link"
- 12/03/2024 PJM TEAC Reliability Update Item 11 pg 78 Proposal 708 Map one segment of the map is green , the second half is pink the key on the diagram says "Utilizing Existing Row". Its not physically possible to fit the existing 500kV plus the new 500kV with the existing 138Kv to be underbuilt approved in August 2024 plus this newly proposed 765kV in the existing easements (Dominion's existing 500kv is in a 200ft easement the existing 138Kv is in 150kV easement ) its also not allowed from a NERC standards perspective. This wil need a new greenfield 200' easement.
- PJM 2024 W1 Redacted Proposal 708 pg 4 and pg 9 states "the right of way width is assumed to be 200 ft"
- 12/03/2024 PJM TEAC Reliability Update Item 10 pg 63 - 65 Proposal 708 Map is included in Project 262 the segment is still pink , the key on the diagram says "Utilizing Existing Row" even though the presenter confirmed a new 200ft easement will be needed they refused to fix the color coding
- PJM's Constructability Analysis Approach pgs 15-18 which calls for PJM to do an "in-depth" review of each project's ROW acquisition, land acquisition, and siting and permitting requirements, among others. As part of this, PJM is required to do a "desk top" investigation of each project's land use mapping (using actual maps!) to include: Residences within 100 feet (count), Residences within 250 feet (count), Land zoned conservation (acres), Public land (acres and count), Number of parcels crossed, Listed and eligible historic structures, Listed and eligible historic districts, Listed and eligible archaeological sites
- PJM's Constructability Analysis pgs 19 - 24 PJM clearly did not do any of the analysis required by their analysis approach they cut and pasted the content from the redacted proposal PJM's analysis for this project is a farce! (Full document: https://www.pjm.com/-/media/DotCom/committees-groups/committees/teac/2025/20250107/20250107-2024-rtep-window-1-constructability--financial-analysis---draft-rev2.pdf - other projects were eliminated for reasons which also apply to Project 262/708 )
12/3/2024 PJM TEAC Reliability Update Item 11 - Pg 78 Proposal 708 Map (pdf)
DownloadProposal 2024 W1 708 redacted highlights Pgs 1-13 (pdf)
DownloadPJM TEAC Reliability Update Item 10 1/7/2025 - Pgs 63 - 65 Proposal 708 Map with substation config (pdf)
DownloadPJM Constructability Analysis Approach Pgs 15 - 18 (pdf)
DownloadPJM Constructability Analysis Report Pgs 19 - 24 (pdf)
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