PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA – Dominion Energy is suing the Prince William County Board of Supervisors over what it calls the board's unlawful denial of Dominion's application for a special use permit to upgrade its electrical substation located on Vint Hill Road.
Dominion says the board unlawfully denied its permit based on factors outside local land-use compliance and that the decision illegally blocks grid operator PJM's federally approved plans.
The Vint Hill substation sits on land zoned for agricultural and residential use and is surrounded largely by residential and rural property. The county's long-range plan designates the area for conservation residential use. Dominion needs a special use permit for the project because the area's current zoning regulations wouldn't allow the high-voltage equipment and expanded footprint.
The board unanimously rejected the $300 million planned upgrade in September, with supervisors criticizing Dominion for a lack of transparency about the project.
Nearby residents complained about the industrial appearance of the upgraded station and its potential for noise and other pollution, especially pollution related to its use of the greenhouse gas SF6, sulfur hexafluoride, for insulation.
The station is across the street from the Braemar neighborhood and in an area where thousands of new homes are planned.
In a statement, Dominion said, "Prince William County and neighboring jurisdictions are experiencing unprecedented electric load growth across residential, commercial, industrial, and data center customers. This growth is a principal driver of the need for infrastructure additions such as the Vint Hill Substation Expansion. Dominion Energy has a responsibility to meet all our customers' needs and a legal obligation to reliably serve everyone. We take that obligation seriously."
According to a report in the Prince William Times, the station would mostly power data centers.
Dominion argues in its lawsuit, provided to Patch, that the county board of supervisors overstepped its authority by rejecting the application because its decision wasn't based solely on land-use considerations, which is what the board is empowered to decide.
In discussing the permit, the board raised concerns about constituents living near power lines and data centers as well as other topics not strictly limited to land use, and expressed that denying a permit is the only way to exercise control over some development processes.
Dominion also argues that a principal concern of the board, Dominion's use of SF6 as the insulating medium at the substation, is likewise not a land use issue.
Dominion argues that these discussions show the board used its authority over special use permits to regulate regional transmission planning, which is outside its purview.
"The Supervisors' comments made clear they were exercising a local veto over the Vint Hill Project in order to block potential future transmission line development in their community," the lawsuit reads. That is not in the board's power, Dominion argues.
Dominion notes that county staff found the project consistent with the county's comprehensive plan. In September 2025, the Prince William Planning Commission approved the project's public facilities review, meaning it found the location and general plan fit the county's comprehensive plan. At the same meeting, however, the commission chose not to make any recommendation regarding the project's special use permit.
Dominion also argues that grid operator PJM approved the upgrade and expansion of the station in a 2024 plan, and that the board cannot block a federal process.
Dominion also says it has been transparent about the project and conducted extensive outreach.
Residents and supervisors say Dominion's plans were difficult to read and obscured the fact that the substation is being planned to accommodate numerous new transmission lines and to become a power hub for energy corridors not yet built, according to reporting by the Prince William Times.
In denying the permit, Prince William supervisors also complained that Dominion was "unprepared" and accused them of "opaque arrogance," according to the Fauquier Times.
Elena Schlossberg of the Coalition to Protect Prince William tells Patch, "Dominion's tactics are obfuscation and intimidation, and that's what we see happening in real time. … Dominion Energy is untrustworthy and I hope our board of supervisors reminds Dominion, and the data center industry [that the board is] in charge, not them, by defending their legislative authority to deny a substation."
In a statement, Dominion said, "The expansion of Vint Hill was identified as a critical need by PJM in 2022 to help alleviate projected load and operating margin constraints. Those constraints are now here and our electric grid is under stress and at risk."
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Manassas Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.