Latest news with #MidAtlanticResiliencyLink
Dominion Post
30-07-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
'It's a no-brainer': Mon Commission opposes passthrough power lines
MORGANTOWN — 'It solves a problem, but somebody else's problem … And to be forced to accept this project without any benefit to our citizens while extremely impacting our citizens isn't something that this commission can stand for.' And with that, the Monongalia County Commission voted Wednesday to take a public position against the 105-mile MidAtlantic Resiliency Link power transmission project looking at parts of West Virginia as a path for 500-kilovolt power lines running from Greene County, Pa. to Frederick County, Va. Five counties – Monongalia, Preston, Hampshire, Jefferson and Mineral – have been identified by NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic as part of the potential route With Wednesday's resolution, all five county commissions have now said, 'No, thank you.' Commissioner Sean Sikora, who offered the remarks that opened this report, explained further. 'When we had the work session with NextEra, everything that they're saying in regards to electricity needs is true. We just don't see a benefit to them running this line across our state – across our beautiful county – and not providing us any benefit.' In regard to this project, one of the major sticking points raised by both residents and elected officials is that West Virginia – a next exporter of energy as the country's fifth-highest producer – is little more than countryside to be cleared in service to power-hungry data centers in northern Virginia. Even so, it's believed the cost of the infrastructure will ultimately be paid through increased rates for all customers across the 13-state power grid operated by PJM Interconnection. 'To me, it's pretty simple. They want to shove these things down our throats and say, 'Oh, by the way, you also get to pay for it, and by the way, you don't get any benefit from it,'' Commission President Jeff Arnett said. 'It's a no-brainer.' Arnett went on to say there was consensus across the political spectrum in terms of the numerous individuals who kept pressure on the commission to get involved. One of those individuals was Delegate David McCormick, R-82nd District. 'This is a bipartisan issue. It's about property values and increased rates for ratepayers. I don't see West Virginia and West Virginians benefiting from this; it being just a vehicle to get more power to Virginia to help their economic development efforts with data centers. I'd rather see them come here, frankly,' McCormick said. 'Virginia doesn't have enough power? Well, maybe they shouldn't have closed all the power plants and they wouldn't have this problem.' In addition to the resolution opposing MARL within Monongalia County, the commission also pledged to honor a recent request from the Hampshire County Commission to coordinate the efforts of the various counties leading up to and including participation in the West Virginia Public Service Commission's review of the final project route presented by NextEra.
Dominion Post
29-07-2025
- General
- Dominion Post
Hampshire County Commission: Say no to transmission projects
MORGANTOWN — The Hampshire County Commission is urging its counterpart in Monongalia County to take a public stand against high-voltage transmission projects looking at West Virginia as a means to an end. It's exceedingly likely that request will be granted Wednesday, when the Monongalia County Commission takes up a resolution regarding the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link project. In a letter dated July 15, the commissioners in Hampshire County say they're 'deeply concerned' with both the 500 kV MidAtlantic Resiliency Link (MARL) and 750 kV Valley Link projects and ask Monongalia County to help present a 'united front' before grid operator PJM Interconnection and the West Virginia Public Service Commission. 'We propose forming an informal coalition of affected counties and towns to share information, coordinate participation in regulatory proceedings and press for solutions that protect our property values, environment and quality of life,' the letter states. MARL is a 105-mile stretch of high-voltage transmission lines that will run from Greene County, Pa. to Frederick County, Va. Up to 13 miles of that project could run through Monongalia County depending on the route selected. Other West Virginia counties in the potential path include Preston, Mineral, Hampshire and Jefferson. The Valley Link project is a 261-mile high-voltage line that would run from Putnam County to Frederick County, Md. This project could impact more than a dozen counties in West Virginia, including Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Calhoun, Braxton, Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, Tucker, Preston, Grant, Hardy, Hampshire and Jefferson. As one of three counties that could potentially see both transmission projects clear a 200-foot swath through the local countryside, the Hampshire County Commission says it believes there are better alternatives than 'carving through untouched landscapes.' One alternative, the letter explains, is the promotion of local power generation where the energy is actually needed. 'Hampshire County is deeply concerned that the 500 kV MARL project and the 765 kV Valley Link project would erect massive 160-foot transmission towers across our scenic ridges and valleys, primarily to carry electricity from generation in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to far-off data centers in Louden County, Virginia. These lines would impose significant burdens on our communities without providing any meaningful local benefit.' The comments out of Hampshire County are very similar to those shared by commissioners here when they sat down with representatives from NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic earlier this month. 'I don't see the benefit we're getting in Mon County at all,' Commissioner Tom Bloom said. 'You have a job to do, but I don't like it on the backs of Mon County residents, and that's what I'm worried about.'
Dominion Post
11-07-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Mon Commission 'struggling to see a benefit' from transmission project
MORGANTOWN — What direct benefit will NextEra's MidAtlantic Resiliency Link power transmission project provide to Monongalia County and its residents in trade for clearing a 200-foot swath through up to 13 miles of countryside? Members of the Monongalia County Commission asked that question several different ways Wednesday when they sat for a work session with Kaitlin McCormick, the project's senior director for NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic To paraphrase the answers – that's yet to be determined, and it's for the greater good. The MidAtlantic Resiliency Link is a 105-mile stretch of 500-kilovolt transmission lines that will run from Greene County, Pa., to Frederick County, Va. The county commission was first notified in December that Monongalia County falls within the area being considered for the 'major highway for energy and electrons.' While the final route has yet to be selected, some residents within potentially impacted counties — Monongalia, Preston, Mineral, Hampshire and Jefferson counties in West Virginia — have started turning up the heat on local elected officials to take a public stand against what they see as little more than a massive extension cord being pulled across West Virginia to plug in power-hungry data centers in northern Virginia. To be clear, NextEra needs no approvals or support from counties. The backing it needs will ultimately come from the West Virginia Public Service Commission, which is where the political pressure lands as counties along the potential route say they want out. Since May 27, commissions in Hampshire, Preston and Mineral counties have issued resolutions opposing MARL in their counties. The Monongalia County Commission has yet to take a public position. When pressed for local benefits, McCormick primarily hammered the point that the project has been identified by grid operator PJM as necessary to ensure reliability in the face of growing electricity demand and aging infrastructure. As part of PJM's 13-state territory, McCormick continued, West Virginians will benefit from that increased reliability. 'A more resilient electric grid can help minimize the likelihood of power outages and blackouts. Winter and summer peaks continue to place increased strain on the current electric grid,' McCormick said. 'Just recently, there was a heat wave in this region, and in fact, on June 24, PJM experienced the highest load that it's had in over a decade within the system.' While McCormick said the MARL project would support 'ongoing technological advancements,' she stopped short of engaging in discussion of data centers, which groups like the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis have identified as the primary beneficiary of the MARL project. A data center is a physical room, building or facility that houses IT infrastructure for building, running and delivering online applications and services. A single center can match the power draw of a metropolitan area. Northern Virginia is the data center hub of the East Coast. The facilities are the backbone of our always-online existence and increasingly in demand as advancements like artificial intelligence continue to push the need for additional capacity. According to the IEEFA, electricity demand across the PJM territory has remained relatively flat for nearly two decades. That's changed the last three years almost exclusively to the rise of data centers, which accounted for more than one-quarter of Virginia's electricity consumption in 2023. Asked why the power couldn't be pulled from a source closer to where it's needed, in northern Virginia, McCormick said, 'There is a lot to this project. The project is providing reliability benefits to the entire region. It is not simply providing any single load or user with electricity.' Throughout the meeting, members of the commission addressed a number of NextEra's talking points, noting the jobs created by the project would be temporary and filled from 'the broader region,' not necessarily Monongalia County or even West Virginia. Further, Commissioner Sean Sikora said the tax revenue dollars estimated for Monongalia County by NextEra aren't worth 'seeing our county severely impacted by this and seeing our citizens severely impacted.' 'I look at things from a cost-benefit analysis and I'm struggling with the benefits. I really am. And I'm not trying to be disrespectful. I'm just trying to understand the overall benefit to Mon County. We, as a state, get used a lot. You know, we're very proud of what we have here in Mon County. Our residents are very proud of their properties,' Sikora continued. 'We're concerned, and we echo their concerns about what the impact is to our community. It's hard to find a benefit.' It was noted during the meeting that Monongalia County has two power plants and West Virginia is a net exporter of power onto the PJM grid. Asked whether West Virginia ratepayers — and ratepayers across the PJM region — would ultimately foot the bill for the project via rate increases, McCormick explained it would fall to PJM and the PSC to make that determination. 'For the most part, I don't see a large benefit from it in Monongalia County, and that's primarily what we're interested in,' Commission President Jeff Arnett concluded. 'That's what we're tasked with protecting, and that's who we're tasked with serving.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NextEra Energy holds Morgantown open house on extra-high voltage transmission line
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — After its proposal of its MidAtlantic Resiliency Link, NextEra Energy hosted an open house to help inform the public and answer questions about its plans for the 105-mile-long transmission line. More than 135 people attended NextEra Energy's open house on Monday at West Virginia University's Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown. The majority of the attendees were property owners who are concerned about how the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link's construction would affect their property. NextEra Energy plans to file its applications for the project in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia this fall. If approved, construction will begin in 2029, and service will begin in 2031. Safety Cloud system by HAAS Alert could save lives on the road 12 News spoke with NextEra Energy's senior director, Kaitlyn McCormick, on where the energy from the transmission line would be distributed. 'It's broadly helping to support and provide an electricity backbone on the grid. We have two ends and are not directly affiliated with any generation source, so power can move on the transmission line from various points throughout the system, and it's not affiliated with any one particular user at the end,' said McCormick. The proposed 500-kV transmission line is a result of PJM Interconnection—a regional transmission organization—findings of an 11-gigawatt power generation retirement and an approximate 7-gigawatt of additional demand of energy happening throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. The last NextEra Energy open house to be held in West Virginia is on Wednesday, May 14, at the Bruceton Brandonville Volunteer Fire Department in Bruceton Mills from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. If you would like additional information on the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link but aren't able to make the open house, you can call 833-849-1461, email MARL@ or visit NextEra's website for potential route previews and to submit a questionnaire voicing your concerns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Residents turn out for open house on proposed 105-mile power line from Pennsylvania to Virginia
May 12—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — Several hundred people turned out at the Erickson Alumni Center Monday afternoon for an open house to learn about the proposed NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic Resiliency Link project. They talked with NextEra employees and viewed the rows of posters displaying the possible routes and how the project will progress. The Link is a proposed transmission project to build a new 105-mile 500-kilovolt transmission line potentially in the following counties stretching from Greene County, Pa., to Frederick County, Va. Depending on the route selected, it could pass through Monongalia and Preston counties, along with Hampshire County and Mineral counties, Allegany Garrett counties in Maryland and Fayette County in Pennsylvania. The project also consists of building a new 500 /138-kV substation in Frederick County, Va. PJM Interconnection, the regional 13-state power grid operator, selected it among a number of projects, stemming from its long-range Regional Transmission Expansion Plan, to address reliability issues associated with loss of power generation sources, support for new power sources and additional electricity demand in the region. Landowners came with such questions as if the line would cross the land, how they and the areas would benefit, and if they would be fairly compensated for right-of-way easements. Kaitlin McCormick, senior director of development at NextEra explained the project and answered some questions about it. PJM, she said, is forecasting a loss of about 11 gigawatts of generating capacity along with an increase of 7 GW of power demand in the coming years. "This project is one of the projects that was awarded to help make sure that we have safe, reliable power throughout the region." New transmission lines, she said, provide the opportunity to move electricity from where it is available to help offset where some of the retirements are happening. She didn't have an estimated cost for the project but said ratepayers are charged a transmission fee, approved by their state regulators (the Public Service Commission for West Virginia), on their monthly bills. On the costs, PJM said, "Regional transmission solutions benefit all customers in the PJM footprint." Costs will be allocated through a cost allocation methodology approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. NextEra, McCormick said, worked with a consultant to support a routing study for the project, including environmental and natural resource constraints, and working the state and federal agencies to get their input. "We've been looking at where there are population centers and where there are existing transmission lines or other infrastructure. One of the core tenets of our process is that to the extent that we can, we would like to parallel where there's existing transmission." For most of the route, she said, they will need a 200-foot right of way. They've held a series of open houses — Monday's was fifth and three more are planned, including one at the Bruceton Brandonville VFD in Preston County on Wednesday — to get input from landowners about possible routes and answer their questions. "We have not selected a route yet for this project, " she said, "Our goal is to work with landowners, and to engage them to understand whether or not they have interest, maybe whether their neighbors might have interest, and the goal is to come and to work with the community." A look at the map shows what one NextEra employee called a "spaghetti " of possibilities. Some reach down into Mon and Preston counties, some stay in Greene and Fayette counties before dipping into Maryland. Following the open houses and selecting a route, she said, NextEra is looking to file applications with the PSC and other state's regulators early this fall. A project timeline shows expected state regulatory approvals in spring 2027, start of construction in fall 2029, completion by fall 2031 and lines in service by winter 2031. "We really appreciate the feedback and the engagement from the public, " McCormick said. "Our goal is to have the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link help to provide safe, reliable electric electricity in the region and to support all these local communities in the areas, so we appreciate the feedback." Among the questions landowners asked is how they would benefit from a line passing over their property from Pennsylvania to Virginia. We asked McCormick about the potential benefits. One, she said, is reliable power. Another, high-demand customers will have the opportunity to interconnect — either at the Danville, Md., substation along the Mineral-Allegany line, or at other points they would work out with PJM. And, "there are tax revenue benefits that come in. Here in Mon County, we're looking at $50 million to $100 million over the 40-year life of the project." Landowners along the line will be paid for their easements, she said. And they anticipate several hundred construction jobs during the two-year construction period. Delegates Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, and John Williams, D-Monongalia, were among the local officials attending the open house. Statler said NextEra met with them in Charleston during the legislative session, and learned they want to parallel existing lines as much as possible, and he was at the open house to look at that. And to explore if the new line would benefit existing local power plants. "You've got an open mind." Williams said he came on behalf of a constituent who owns some business property where the line could pass through in Pennsylvania and is concerned. For himself, he said, "The company, the way that they're interacting today, they're being extremely professional answering questions. I've been to a few of these before. I've never seen people so interested in the public input, so I think they're doing a fantastic job with that. I do have some questions on what is this power generation or transmission, rather, what is it going to be used for." Could it be for grid stabilization, do data centers play a role, what would be the power mix feeding the lines. On the topic of data centers, also raised by others at the open house, McCormick said, "PJM's estimates and what they are forecasting holistically is part of what we're looking at." We noted in a report on PJM in January that PJM has warned that a capacity shortage could affect its system as early as the 2026-2027 delivery year, which begins June 1, 2026. Among the factors affecting this are the demand for electricity growing at the fastest pace in years, primarily from the proliferation of data centers, electrification of buildings and vehicles, and manufacturing. NextEra Energy Transmission, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, operates about 2, 200 circuit miles of transmission lines across North America. NextEra Energy Transmission and its subsidiaries developed, designed and constructed transmission projects across 16 states and Canada.
