WASHINGTON — Dominion Virginia Power is once again in a battle over the placement of high-voltage power lines, this time in Loudoun County.
Dominion has said that the Poland Road project would support “rapid and continued growth” in Loudoun County, in anticipation of increased demand from the tech sector. But last Wednesday, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an initiative opposing Dominion’s proposed routes for the Poland Road plan, which would put in a four-mile, above-ground, high-voltage power line and a substation.
“There have been a lot of concerns that we’ve gotten,” said Matt Letourneau, R-Dulles.
The board’s initiative offers three alternate routes for the power line, and Letourneau has scheduled a community meeting for 7 p.m. Thursday at Mercer Middle School, at 42149 Greenstone Drive in Aldie, “to present to [Loudoun County residents] the routes that we’ve put forward and discuss the best ways for them to be engage in this process moving forward.”
The State Corporation Commission has the final say on where the transmission lines will go. The commission is holding two public hearings on the Loudoun County power line and substation: The first meeting is 5:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Loudoun County Government Center (1 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg); the second meeting is 6 p.m. Aug. 25 at Freedom High School (25450 Riding Center Drive, South Riding).
The SCC is also scheduled to have a public evidentiary hearing in Richmond for the Loudoun County case. The hearing is 10 a.m. Oct. 27 and will be held in the SCC’s 2nd floor courtroom, in the Tyler Building (1300 E. Main St.).
In Prince William County, residents voiced concerns over Dominion’s proposal to put in high-voltage power lines in the western part of the county, from Gainesville to Haymarket. It’s been a year-long battle.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on a resolution that will urge Dominion to choose the “I-66 Hybrid route” for the proposed power line, which would mean a portion of the line would be underground, InsideNova reports.
WTOP’s Kathy Stewart contributed to this report.
