Sep. 13—dbeard @dominionpost.com MORGANTOWN — An error in a Potomac Edison filing with the state Public Service Commission briefly led to public belief that two separate transmission line projects — Potomac Edison’s and NextEra Energy Transmission’s — were a single project.
FirstEnergy subsidiary Potomac Edison quickly corrected the error. But that led some readers to contact The Dominion Post about what was behind the error. And that led us, in turn, to contact PJM Interconnection to get a clearer picture of what’s going on.
PJM operates the power grid for 13 states — including West Virginia — and Washington, D.C. Potomac Edison’s project is called the Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek Improvement Project. NextEra’s is called the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link.
PJM explains that both are part of a project series — also called a baseline reliability project — that PJM labels B3800. The PJM Board of Managers approved the project series on Dec. 11, 2023, “to expand the regional transmission system to accommodate electricity demand growth, generator retirements and future capacity needs in the area PJM serves.”
PJM said in its announcement that day in 2023, “The grid enhancements approved Dec. 11 are required to maintain reliability as PJM prepares for significant impacts to the grid from up to 7, 500 MW [megawatts ] of new data centers to be sited in Virginia and Maryland, combined with widespread effects from the deactivation of more than 11, 000 MW of generation. The estimated cost of the combined upgrades is approximately $5 billion.”
PJM said it is required to plan transmission to reliably serve the electricity needs of 65 million customers. Projects in B3800 were solicited through the 2022 Regional Transmission Expansion Planning (RTEP) Window 3, which was administered Feb. 24 to May 31, 2023.
B3800, PJM said, resulted from a competitive process that considered 72 submissions from 10 entities. It combines components of proposals submitted by Dominion (Virginia), FirstEnergy, Exelon (Maryland), PPL Electric Utilities (Pennsylvania), NextEra, Transource (a partnership between American Electric Power and Evergy) and PSEG (New Jersey). The transmission projects were also chosen to be scalable as needed to meet additional electricity generation and /or demand in the future.
PJM told The Dominion Post on Wednesday, “Collectively, the 2022 RTEP Window 3 proposals will be able to scale to serve future needs of all 65 million customers in the PJM footprint through 2027, as well as the new generation seeking to connect to the grid.”
B3800, PJM said, includes new substations, new transmission lines and improvements to existing facilities. A majority of the project components use existing facilities and rights of way through either repurposing /rebuilding existing assets or paralleling existing rights of way. There are sections that would be new construction on land without existing transmission lines, known as greenfield development.
PJM noted that it does not site the facilities or transmission lines nor determine their routes. The chosen developers do that.
Who pays ?
How are costs for these projects allocated ? Do ratepayers in other states have to pay for transmission to serve these data centers ? Regional transmission solutions benefit all customers in the PJM footprint. The costs associated with the solutions to address the needs of both windows will be allocated pursuant to a cost allocation methodology that has been approved by FERC. PJM publishes a searchable database of project status and cost allocation for projects on its Project Cost & Allocation page on PJM.com.
One of the concerns expressed by the public and public officials in West Virginia is the costs imposed on West Virginia ratepayers by these projects sending power to Virginia’s Data Center Ally in Loudon County, and to Maryland.
In a white paper FAQ document PJM put out in January this year, PJM poses these questions: “How are costs for these projects allocated ? Do ratepayers in other states have to pay for transmission to serve these data centers ?”
And it offers this answer: “Regional transmission solutions benefit all customers in the PJM footprint. The costs associated with the solutions to address the needs … will be allocated pursuant to a cost allocation methodology that has been approved by FERC [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission).
PJM’s project status web page shows that B3800 comprises 220 separate projects and the estimated cost for each.
MARL and Gore-Doubs MARL is the western segment of B3800. MARL would build a new 105-mile 500-kilovolt transmission line stretching from Greene County, Pa., to Frederick County, Va. It could pass through Monongalia and Preston counties, along with Hampshire County and Mineral counties, Allegany Garrett county in Maryland and Fayette County in Pennsylvania.
NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic informed the PSC on Aug. 27 that it intends to apply for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for MARL in anywhere from 30-90 days.
As of Wednesday, the PSC tallied 840 letters opposing it, and none for it. Opposition includes public officials — Republicans and Democrats — and members of the general public.
Delegate David McCormick, R-Monongalia, submitted an opposition letter to the PSC on Aug. 26.
Among the reasons for opposing the line are the 200-foot right of way that “would seize valuable residential, agricultural, and commercial property, upending the lives of homeowners, family farmers, and business owners.”
Also, it could divert energy jobs out of West Virginia, he said, fragment farmland and disrupt the ability of families to sustain their primary source of income, and scar scenic landscapes and historic communities.
The PSC has been issuing standardized responses to letters from officials, noting their opposition and referring them to its case information page on its website, where they can track activities in the case.
Moving eastward, Potomac Edison’s Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek Improvement Project is next. The company notified the PSC on Aug. 25 that it plans to file an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity in anywhere from 30-90 days.
This project will primarily take place within about 44 miles of existing rights of way, beginning at the Gore Substation in Frederick County, Md. The work will use an existing right of way that traverses east through Frederick County (17.9 miles); Clarke County, Md. (0.2 miles); Jefferson County (15.4 miles); and Loudoun County, Va. (10.5 miles).
The PSC has received 718 letters of protest for the West Virginia segment of this project.
We asked FirstEnergy about Potomac Edison’s participation in B3800.
FirstEnergy said, “PJM conducts a long-range planning process that regularly identifies what changes and additions to the grid are needed to ensure reliability. When regional needs are identified, PJM opens competitive planning ‘windows’ so that transmission companies can submit solutions they’ve designed.
“FirstEnergy subsidiaries proposed several solutions during the 2022 RTEP Window 3 competitive planning window, ” the company said, “and in late 2023, we were awarded projects by PJM including the Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek Improvements Project, which is part of the series that features multiple transmission companies. While they are separate projects, the companies are communicating and coordinating as needed to address electrical connections between the projects in the series.”
FirstEnergy concluded, “We are committed to maintaining an advanced and reliable transmission system, which is vital to meeting the needs of our customers.”
Dominion Energy will pick up a segment of MARL in Virginia. We contacted Dominion about that.
The company said, “As part of the NextEra MidAtlantic Resiliency Link project, Dominion Energy will be building the Virginia portion of the new 500 kV [kilovolt ] line in our existing right of way from the Potomac River to a Dominion Energy substation approximately 3.5 miles south.
“In addition, Dominion Energy has another project in the same existing corridor to rebuild the existing 500 /230 kV line and a new 500 /230kV line. While there will be several utility operators of these lines in this corridor, we will build and maintain all the infrastructure located on the Virginia side of the Potomac. Estimated timeline for completion is 2029-2030, dependent on regulatory reviews, approvals, and permitting.”