SCC hearing on Loudoun transmission lines concludes

Last week the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) concluded its hearing on Dominion Energy’s proposed Aspen-Golden Transmission Project, paving the way for Hearing Examiner Renae Carter to make a formal recommendation to the Commission’s three judges.

The 9.4 mile double circuit overhead (500 and 230 kilovolt) electrical line would run along the Rt. 7 corridor between the proposed Aspen and Golden substations to bring more energy to eastern Loudoun County. The SCC has regulatory authority over utilities and must approve proposed high voltage transmission lines prior to construction.

The proposal is to run above-ground power lines from the area around Goose Creek and Belmont Ridge Road, along the south side of Route 7, and parallel to Loudoun County Parkway. Dominion has stated the project is necessary to maintain electricity reliability for the region and that in order to avoid service disruption, increased electricity must come online by 2028.

The proposal has been highly controversial for the last year with environmental groups, citizens and businesses concerned about property devaluations, environmental impacts, preservation of scenic easements, encroachment on historic preservation areas, safety concerns of Inova Lansdowne Hospital’s medevac landing capability and federal aviation height restrictions near Dulles Airport.

To address public concerns, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Lansdowne Conservancy, Belmont HOA, Community Church, and Piedmont Environmental Council have advocated for the SCC to require Dominion to underground three miles of the line along a portion of Rt. 7. Dominion has stated the costs, terrain complexities and future maintenance challenges associated with undergrounding make that approach unfavorable.

Hearing Examiner Carter will make a formal recommendation to SCC Judges Jehmal T. Hudson, Samuel T. Towell and Kelsey A. Bagot who will determine whether the transmission lines will be built and, if so, with a portion underground.

Commissioner Bagot, a former Hillsboro resident, was appointed to the SCC six months ago by the Virginia legislature and is a former attorney for NextEra Energy. During her time with NextEra, the company was one of the two contractors selected in December 2023 to build the MARL transmission lines. The other company was First Energy.

The MARL project (Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link) project proposes 130 miles of 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission towers and lines be built from Southwestern Pennsylvania, through West Virginia and Maryland to Virginia, along with a new 500/138-kV substation.

The two projects, Aspen to Golden and MARL, are separate. However, both contribute to the comprehensive, sustainable electric power sought for the region. PJM Interconnection, the electrical grid operator proposing MARL, includes the Aspen to Golden project as part of its expansion planning process. See pages 14 and 16 here: https://www.iso-ne.com/static-...

However, the Aspen to Golden project is further along in the approval process than the MARL project is. Dominion Energy Spokeswoman Aisha Kahn confirmed that the Aspen to Golden project has not yet selected contractors for construction and that NextEra Energy is not on their contractor list.

During her selection process to the SCC, many questioned Bagot's appointment as a potential conflict of interest because she was previously employed by NextEra Energy. In light of this, Bagot vowed she would recuse herself from cases brought before the SCC where NextEra Energy had an interest.

For more information on the transmission project, visit: https://cdn-dominionenergy-prd...

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