Valley Link has submitted its Incentive Rate Case at FERC

 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 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 far Western Loudoun County, along the Potomac River that is the target of another new 500kV transmission line (Alternate MARL Re-Route) that was approved by PJM’s Board of Managers in August of 2024, which, if built, will also require taking additional easements.  Frederick County,  Virginia and Jefferson County,  West VA 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.