WASHINGTON — State regulators are questioning the need for new high-voltage transmission lines in Prince William County, and have ordered new hearings with interested parties.
Virginia’s State Corporation Commission wants a hearing examiner to gather more information from Dominion Energy and groups opposed to the Haymarket Transmission Line Project.
“We’re back to the basic premise again, in terms of, one, need, and two, if needed what is the proper route,” SCC spokesman Ken Schrad said. “The commission’s object is to make sure that all parties have due process.”
Opponents include The Coalition to Protect Prince William County, which has concerns about the project’s impact on the environment and private property.
Dominion Energy believes growing demand for power in Prince William County makes the project necessary. It wants to extend new overhead power lines from a Gainesville substation to Haymarket, where a new substation would be built.
“We are looking forward to providing the commission with the requested information about this important project and continuing to provide reliable energy to customers in the Haymarket region,” spokesman Chuck Penn said in an email to WTOP.
This is the latest wrinkle in a process that’s been underway since July 2014. Multiple paths for the power lines have been proposed by Dominion and rejected for various reasons, including proximity to a historic African-American community.
Schrad expects a hearing examiner will set the schedule for information-gathering hearings after the first of the year.
