Power Line Upgrade Sparks Questions

Utility Attempts to Address Concerns

By Kafia A. Hosh

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Michael Donohoe and his wife slowly made their way around several booths at an open house to learn more about plans to upgrade a high-voltage transmission line in their community.

Dominion Virginia Power, which hosted the open house Tuesday at the Dulles South Multipurpose Center in South Riding, plans to remove a 115,000-volt line and replace it with a double-circuit 230,000-volt line.

Donohoe, of Middleburg, said he is concerned about the new power line's potential effect on the rural landscape and wildlife and about the height of its towers, which would nearly double to an average of 110 feet.

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Residents Meet about Proposed Power Line

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This Dominion Virginia Power illustration shows the differences in current transmission lines and poles (on left) and the proposed, upgraded transmission lines and poles (on right) that will run from Arcola to Middleburg. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Bri West, a member of the Piedomont Environmental Council, listens to a discussion on the new 230kv power lines at the Dominion Virginia Power open house. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Alison Kaufmann (with Dominion) explains Dominion's new Smart Meter to Bill Olson (who lives in Woodbridge but owns property in Loudoun County). (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Le-Ha Anderson (red dress-black top, with Dominion Virginia Power) talks with guests at Dominion Virginia Power's open house in South Riding. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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A cross section (4 1/2 in diameter) of Dominion Virginia Power's XLPE underground cable. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Charles Hardy (on left, with Dominion Virginia Power) talks with Loudoun County resident Dennis Kelly, as they look at a map showing Dominion Virginia Power's plans for an upgraded transmission line from Arcola to Middleburg. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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At the Dominion Virginia Power's Open House, (from left) John Bailey (blue shirt-with Dominion Transmissions) talks with Middleburg residents Mic and Cate Donohoe about the plans to upgrade a transmission line. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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"I'm sure [Dominion is] going to have to cut down a lot of trees," he said. "It would take the look off of the area."

The line's 9.3-mile route would begin at a Loudoun substation near Arcola and run 2.2 miles through Fauquier County and 1.4 miles through Prince William County before ending at a substation in Middleburg.

The project requires approval from the State Corporation Commission.

The new line would continue to serve about 20,500 utility customers, 40 percent of whom are served by Dominion. The rest of the customers get their power through two delivery points in the Cedar Grove and Arcola areas that are used by NOVEC, a nonprofit corporation that distributes electricity.

The delivery point in Arcola connects to a nearby substation that serves Loudoun residents. The one in Cedar Grove connects to two substations along the Loudoun County and Prince William line and serves mostly Prince William residents

Dominion officials say the project is needed by 2012 to avoid power outages in Loudoun.

Although NOVEC customers have not had any power outages, company officials have said the existing transmission line is at capacity. They said an upgraded line would help NOVEC prepare for projected customer growth, estimated at 2 to 5 percent annually over the next three years

But the Piedmont Environmental Council, which has opposed Dominion's power line projects in the area, questioned the need for the transmission line upgrade.

Bri West, who attended Dominion's open house, pointed to data showing a decrease in electricity use throughout the metro region. Area households and businesses used about 2 percent less electricity in the first nine months of last year compared with the same period in 2007, according to a recent Washington Post article and analysis. The total consumption of electricity nationwide also is projected to fall by 2 percent this year, according to data from the Department of Energy.

"In this particular line, the concerns are if it's needed," West said. "Maybe if we waited, we would have better technology" to build it in the future.

Dominion plans to submit the proposed project to the SCC in the fall and begin construction by next year. Options for other routes are not available, Dominion officials said. The existing route is the only option in Dominion's application to the SCC, and it's unlikely to change because the utility already owns the right-of-way of the route, said John Bailey, a Dominion site and permit coordinator.

"We're going to use this corridor because it's already there," he said.

Bailey said the company will work with landowners and address their concerns about vegetation and rare species that might have grown in the area since the line was built 56 years ago.

Dominion must also address other proposals that could affect the power line project, Bailey said, including the Virginia Outdoors Foundation's plan to build a trail through Bull Run Mountain.

The trail would cut across the line's route. "We need to make sure when we're engineering it, we can accommodate the trail," he said.

Dominion officials said they hope to have the line built by early 2012.

Tagged: Dominion Power, power line, South Riding

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