Data center demand questioned in Dominion line case
Northern Virginia residents questioned Dominion Energy's proposed Morrisville-Wishing Star transmission project, arguing that data center growth is driving the need and that demand forecasts and cost allocations should be independently verified. Residents also raised concerns about new transmission corridors crossing private property, while the State Corporation Commission deferred a decision and continued the proceeding.
The Virginia State Corporation Commission heard public testimony on Dominion Energy's proposed Morrisville-Wishing Star transmission project, a grid expansion spanning Fauquier, Prince William and Loudoun counties. The proposal includes a 500-kilovolt transmission line, a 230-kilovolt line in Fauquier County and an expansion of the Morrisville Substation.
Loudoun County Supervisor Laura TeKrony said data center demand accounts for most of Northern Virginia's load growth and questioned whether withdrawn, denied or delayed data center projects still justify the investment. Property owners near Pageland Lane and Manassas National Battlefield Park urged regulators to make greater use of existing transmission corridors, while some Heritage Hunt residents supported Dominion's preferred route over an alternative closer to their community. The commission adjourned the proceeding until Nov. 16 without deciding the project.