May 15, 2025 By Garrett Neese 5 min read

A proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line would stretch 105 miles from Greene County, southeast to Frederick County in Virginia.

Landowners whose property falls on one of the potential routes as well as other community members came to an open house at the Fairchance Volunteer Fire Department station Tuesday to learn more details about the project.

The NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic Resiliency Link project was one of several picked by regional power grid operator PJM to improve reliability and address a shortfall in electric supply.

In PJM’s 2023 request for proposals, it forecast an additional 7 gigawatts of energy demand in its 13-state coverage area. At the same time, power plant retirements would take 11 gigawatts of power out of the mix.

NextEra’s project would provide “a reliable backbone for the electric grid in this region,” said Kaitlin McCormick, NextEra’s senior director of development.

The project would also include building a new 500/138-kilovolt substation in Frederick County. NextEra’s bid put the estimated cost at $400 to $500 million, depending on the route. McCormick said money would come through the transmission fee charged to customers at a rate set by the Public Service Commission.

The starting and ending routes for the line are known, but the path between them remains undetermined. Several different maps showed a tangled set of lines intersecting at hubs throughout the route before veering off again.

In the biggest variance, the line from Greene could either run through Fayette County before dropping down to Garrett County in northwestern Maryland, or get there by dropping south through Monongalia and Preston counties in West Virginia.

Where possible, NextEra is trying to minimize impacts by putting the line parallel to existing transmission rights-of-way, McCormick said. Most of the project would require a corridor about 200 feet wide, she said.

“We’re here today seeking the public’s feedback and their input to help inform our routing process and to help us make adjustments and refine our routing in order to select an option,” she said.

That includes trying to reroute the lines around places where homes and businesses have sprung up near older lines. They’ve also checked with state and federal agencies to avoid potential areas of concern, McCormick said.

During the planning process, NextEra also learned about projects that were nearing groundbreaking or in the planning stages, and adjusted the route to avoid them, McCormick said.

“We’ve also had some individuals talk about other projects that are coming in the future, and all that information can only help us inform a better route,” she said.

Shortly more than halfway through the event, almost 125 residents had shown up.

Landowners and other residents interviewed Tuesday were largely skeptical about the project, voicing concerns about loss of property values and potential health and environmental impacts.

Jim and Karen Trump of Smithfield said they were worried about how the electrical lines would interfere with a nearby gas well. They said they had no intention of allowing the line to run through their property, which they and others at the event foresaw going primarily to meet the increased demand from data centers.

“We’re in a very poor township, one of the poorest in Pennsylvania, so I’m not sure why we’re constantly being asked to give,” Karen Trump said.

George Steve, who lives near Gans in Fayette County, said one of the proposed routes would come within a quarter-mile of his property. He was concerned about the additional clear-cutting of trees that would occur to create the 200-foot path.

NextEra officials had done “a reasonably good job” of answering his questions, Steve said, and he was gratified by the turnout.

Like others, he seemed resigned about his ability to affect it, saying they would likely choose “the cheapest, simplest path.”

“I don’t think it’ll ever stop,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that’s going to come whether you want it or not.”

McCormick said landowners would be compensated for easements based on market studies and the area of the affected property.

NextEra’s goal is to work with communities and landowners for 100% voluntary participation, McCormick said. The feedback from Wednesday’s event and others will help better inform the route they eventually recommend, she said.

Beyond the payments to landowners, there are other benefits, Mccormick said.

Depending on the route, Fayette and Greene counties could see a combined $20 million in tax revenue over the 40-year life of the project, McCormick said. There would also be several hundred construction jobs over the life of the project, as well as a couple of full-time positions once the line is transmitting power, she said.

NextEra’s final decision on routing will come in late summer or early fall, McCormick said, followed in the fall by applications being filed in the four states it could cover. Residents will have an additional chance to comment at the state utility commission level.

Construction is anticipated to begin in 2029, with the line becoming operational in the winter of 2031.

An interactive map at nexteraenergytransmission.com/midatlantic-resiliency-link/project-details.html allows people to to view the proposed route, search by address and leave comments on a particular spot on the map.

They can also reach out to NextEra at (833) 849-1461 or MARL@NextEraEnergy.com.