PSC questions local impacts of grid expansion through W.Va.
West Virginia Public Service Commission members questioned whether the proposed $1.17 billion MidAtlantic Resiliency Link transmission project is necessary and whether its electricity-demand forecasts rely too heavily on data center growth. The project faces opposition from property owners, advocacy groups and local governments concerned about land impacts, rates and limited direct benefits to West Virginia.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission held evidentiary hearings on NextEra Energy Transmission LLC's proposed MidAtlantic Resiliency Link, a 500-kilovolt transmission line that would run from Greene County, Pennsylvania, through four West Virginia counties and into Virginia. PJM Interconnection said the project is needed to serve rising electricity demand from data centers in Virginia and Maryland, offset retiring generation and reduce regional grid congestion.
PSC Chairwoman Charlotte Lane and Commissioner Bill Rainey challenged PJM transmission-planning director Sami Abdulsalam on the project's forecasts, the impact of power plant retirements and the possibility that planned data center developments could change or fail to materialize. Residents, advocacy groups and county governments have criticized the line's effects on private property and questioned whether West Virginia ratepayers would bear costs without receiving substantial benefits. The PSC must decide whether to approve the project's certificate and related cost-recovery arrangements.