Frequently
asked
questions

Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission and Transource (jointly owned by American Electric Power and Evergy) recently formed Valley Link Transmission Company LLC as a joint venture. This innovative collaboration leverages the companies’ collective expertise and resources to deliver comprehensive and cost-effective solutions to help address the region’s growing power needs.

PJM is an independent organization that manages the power grid for 13 states and the District of Columbia. As the grid operator, PJM manages the movement of electricity to serve more than 65 million people. PJM identified the Valley Link projects as essential to meeting the region’s current and future electricity demands.

A 765kV power line is an extra-high-voltage transmission line that is capable of transporting large amounts of electricity across long distances. One 765kV power line can deliver enough electricity to power 2 million homes and has the capacity of six standard 345kV lines or three 500kV lines, reducing the need to build multiple power lines. The PJM network currently has roughly 2,500 miles of 765kV power lines.

Demand for energy in our region is growing at a pace that we have not seen since the years following World War II. This project will be a backbone for the region’s economy, as technology, agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing and logistics all require reliable energy.

Valley Link is committed to engaging with communities along the way. Extensive outreach with residents, local governments and other stakeholders will help inform project decisions, including how best to avoid or minimize potential impacts. The respective Valley Link projects require local and state permits and approvals, including approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Public Service Commission of West Virginia and the Maryland Public Service Commission, who will conduct hearings and ultimately determine which route will be built.

The Valley Link team will begin hosting open houses and public meetings along the potential routes in 2026. Community stakeholders including landowners, residents, civic leaders and others who have an interest in the project will have the opportunity to review routes, ask questions and provide feedback. Each route option goes through multiple layers of review. The public will also be able to use GeoVoice, an interactive mapping tool to explore and provide comment on potential routes.

The project is in the early stages of development, and we have not yet determined the type of structures that will be used. Typical structures average between 135-feet and 160-feet tall.

Based on third-party appraisals and landowner negotiations, Valley Link will purchase easement rights from each property owner that the approved route will cross.

Using electricity in any capacity creates electric and magnetic fields. Scientists across the globe have studied the potential health impacts of EMF since the 1970s and found no cause-and-effect link between EMF exposure from power lines and negative health impacts. The Valley Link team is studying the EMF of the conceptually designed line throughout the design process and will provide calculations in our regulatory applications. Engineers will design lines to minimize EMF.

Transmission lines can generate a faint crackling or hissing sound, especially during wet weather, known as corona noise. This occurs when moisture interacts with the high-voltage conductors. The sound is faint, temporary and comparable to everyday background noise. Newer structures have helped mitigate the sound impact that older 765kV lines produced.

Permission to survey simply means giving project staff or their contractors temporary permission to come onto a property to gather basic information, such as taking measurements, creating maps and checking soil or environmental conditions. It is a preliminary step in planning and feasibility studies, and it does not involve construction, demolition or permanent changes to the property. Permission to survey is not a construction permit, does not transfer ownership or control of land and does not guarantee that the project will move forward on that site. It is typically time-bound, activity-specific and respectful of property rights. Valley Link is committed to transparency and working respectfully and collaboratively with landowners every step of the way.