MUCH of the opposition to data centers is due to the high voltage power lines required to deliver enough power to data centers allowing them to operate. It is doubtful data centers would be opposed as much as they are if these power lines were buried but corporate greed by the data center developers and their clients fight this option to protect their profit margins at the expense of community health and safety and decreased property value issues. State legislatures should pass legislation requiring high voltage power lines be buried but the vast majority of these politicians are unwilling to do so because they know they will loose the campaign contributions they receive from the data center developers, their clients and the energy (and water) utilities they receive as well as the jobs with these contributors too many of these people receive after leaving office. All who are sincerely committed to taking control of electricity distribution in their communities and states need to e mail their state delegates / representatives and senators and demand they pass legislation mandating high voltage power lines be buried at the expense of the utilities customer not the community. Be sure to share all responses you receive. This from WTOP ..... The Virginia agency that oversees utilities in the commonwealth has detailed a plan for Dominion Energy’s controversial Golden to Mars transmission line in Loudoun County, an outcome the group described as inferior but necessary because the school board there still hasn’t weighed in.
The project, which is expected to feature 230 and 500-kilovolt lines, aims to “keep electricity reliable in your community,” according to Dominion’s website.
In April, Virginia’s State Corporation Commission selected what’s called Route 4, a path for the line that would have been near Rock Ridge High and Rosa Lee Carter Elementary schools. School board approval would have been required for that option but hasn’t been provided.
Instead, on Monday, the state agency said the path titled Route 3A would be the one that proceeds. However, Loudoun’s school board recently accepted land donated from the Loudoun Valley Estates homeowner’s association, meaning Route 3A also includes school land.
The board asked the State Corporation Commission, abbreviated SCC, to hold off on issuing its order, a request that was denied.
In its filing, the SCC said Route 3A is “clearly inferior” to Route 4 “by almost every objective measure.”
Community members and elected officials both maintained the preferred option for the transmission line was having it underground, but the SCC said “an underground route for the Golden-Mars Project is not feasible.”
“The Commission finds that continued delay in ordering a final route for this project unreasonably jeopardizes the provision of reliable electric service within the Commonwealth,” the SCC said in its filing this week.
Meanwhile, Loudoun County’s supervisors are urging the school board to host an emergency meeting to discuss the possibilities for the transmission line project.
But in a statement Wednesday, the board said it hasn’t made any final decision on the proposed routes that would cross school board property and anticipated a joint public meeting scheduled for July 29.
“The School Board recognizes the regional importance of the proposed project and the need to adhere to the established regulatory timeline,” the statement said. “At the same time, the Board expects that the concerns of residents, families, and invested parties will be fully considered as decisions move forward.”
Within 30 days of its order, the SCC said Dominion has to provide an electronic map that shows the route of the approved transmission line.
Scott GelmanScott Gelman is a digital editor and writer for WTOP. A South Florida native, Scott graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019. During his time in College Park, he worked for The Diamondback, the school’s student newspaper.
Virginia law does not have a single, universal statute that unconditionally requires power companies (such as Dominion Energy or Appalachian Power) to pay for and install power lines from the source to every customer's exact destination. Instead, installation responsibilities and costs are governed by utility tariffs regulated by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC). [
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The rules for responsibility and cost vary based on where the lines are being run: [
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1. The "Main" Grid (Up to the Property Boundary)Power companies are generally required by state law and their SCC-approved charters to build, install, and maintain the necessary generation facilities, transmission lines, and primary distribution lines to serve the general public. They are responsible for bringing power up to your property line or standard point of connection. [
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2. The Customer's Property (The Service Extension)
When it comes to running the line from the utility's equipment on the street to your specific building (like a home or business), responsibilities and costs are split:
- Installation: While the power company usually handles the physical connection, the cost of extending a new service line—whether overhead or underground—often falls on the customer or developer. [1, 2]
- Allowances: Power companies offer specific "construction allowances" based on estimated future revenue from your monthly bills. If the cost of the extension exceeds this allowance, the customer must pay the difference upfront.
- Undergrounding: State law (Code of Virginia \(\S \) 56-257) and local county ordinances govern underground utility lines. While utilities establish standards, customers usually bear the additional costs of trenching, conduit, and converting overhead lines to underground on their property. [1]
3. Customer-Owned EquipmentThe power company is strictly prohibited from altering or connecting wiring on the
customer's side of the interconnection (such as your electrical panel, breaker box, or household wiring) without your express consent. You must hire a licensed electrician to install this side of the system, which the power company will then inspect before connecting power. [
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Because service extension policies vary by provider, the exact details depend on your location. You should review your local utility’s specific
Terms and Conditions (Tariffs) or contact the
Virginia State Corporation Commission to file a complaint or request specific service rules. [
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§ 56-257. Manner of installing underground utility lines.
A. Every operator, as defined in § 56-265.15, having the right to install underground utility lines, as defined in § 56-265.15, except interstate gas pipelines subject to regulation by the U.S. Department of Transportation, shall install such underground utility lines in accordance with accepted industry standards. Such standards shall include, as applicable, standards established by the National Electric Safety Code, the Commission's pipeline safety regulations, the Department of Health's waterworks regulations (12VAC5-590-10 et seq.), and standards established by the Utility Industry Coalition of Virginia.
B. The Commission shall promulgate any rules or regulations necessary to enforce the provisions of this section as to those operators that do not comply with such accepted industry standards.
C. This section shall not authorize the Commission to order action by, or impose penalties on, any county, city or town. However, the Commission shall inform counties, cities and towns of alleged violations by the locality of the accepted industry standards or regulations adopted under this section and, at the request of the locality, suggest corrective action.
Code 1919, § 4059; 1996, c. 278; 2000, c. 779.
