This text was taken from an email alert sent out on February 20, 2026. Sign up for email alerts →
Dear Supporter,
For over 50 years, The Piedmont Environmental Council has been committed to recognizing the value and significance of the region’s communities, cultural landscapes, and natural resources, including working farms and forestland, wildlife habitat, and water resources as part of our Strategic Plan. Data centers in Virginia and their associated infrastructure are threatening this work.
Two transmission line infrastructure projects, proposed by Dominion Energy, could adversely impact the region’s cherished landscapes forever. Today, I’m writing to share the information we have about these proposals and opportunities to attend community meetings and submit comments.
The two projects are at different stages of development, but include:
- A “wreck and rebuild” of an existing 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from the Dooms substation in Augusta County to the substation in the City of Charlottesville
- An upgrade of an existing 230 kV transmission line from the substation in the City of Charlottesville to the Gordonsville substation in the northeast corner of Albemarle County
A “wreck and rebuild” of existing transmission lines involves tear down and replacement of existing towers and replacement of the conductors, which are the wires that carry high-voltage electricity.
Dominion Energy states that the upgrades are needed to comply with reliability standards, but the reality is that upgrades and expansions like this are needed all over the state at an expedited rate to meet sky rocketing load demand from data centers that were approved and built without sufficient energy supply to power them.
Why these Projects Matter
Transmission line projects, even those limited to existing rights-of-way, cause visual impacts from taller towers and poor siting or design selection, construction impacts to nearby rivers, streams, wetlands, and impacts to sensitive ecosystems that support biodiversity, and visual and construction impacts to cultural resources, including archaeological and historical sites, historic buildings and structures and cultural landscapes.
The two projects cut through county and city parks, residential neighborhoods, schools, county-designated Agricultural and Forestal Districts, and scores of permanently conserved parcels. The area’s thick layering of significance also includes Shenandoah National Park, the Skyline Drive Historic District, the Greenwood – Afton Rural Historic District and the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District. The Charlottesville – Gordonsville project falls within the viewshed of Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also proximate to the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway along State Routes 22 and 231.
In addition to being highly valued nationally-significant resources, their preservation directly contributes to our region’s tourism industry — valued at nearly $1 billion annually.
Two Projects at Different Stages
1. Dooms – Charlottesville 230 kV Rebuild
Map via Dominion Energy.
Dominion Energy is proposing to wreck and rebuild, within the existing right-of-way, approximately 22.3 miles of 230 kV transmission lines between Charlottesville and Dooms. They proposed to remove the majority of the existing towers, which are lattice structures and steel monopole structures, and replace them with new, much taller, galvanized steel and weathering steel structures — standing at an estimated 113 feet tall on average.
PEC is advocating for:
- Dominion Energy to commit that all work will take place within the existing right-of-way
- Shortest towers possible
- All towers in Albemarle County’s rural areas to be dark brown weathering steel
- Avoidance of all direct impacts to water resources
- Avoidance of direct impacts to residential neighborhoods, schools and medical facilities
- In cases where impacts cannot be avoided, mitigation of adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources
The community open houses for this project were held in fall 2025. Dominion Energy has submitted the project to the State Corporation Commission (SCC) for review and approval. The SCC must consider whether potential impacts on scenic assets, historic districts and the environment have been reasonably minimized.
Send Comments to the SCC by March 25, 2026:
- Online: Instructions on the Commission’s webpage
(Case No. PUR-2025-00189) - By Mail: Send your written comments to Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, ℅ Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118 (Case No. PUR-2025-00189)
—
2. Charlottesville – Gordonsville 230 kV Rebuild
Dominion Energy is proposing to wreck and rebuild 20 miles of existing single-circuit 230 kV transmission line between Dominion’s Charlottesville and Gordonsville substations as a double-circuit 230 kV transmission line within the existing right-of-way. This project is still in its early development stage, with an application filing with the SCC expected in early 2026. There will be two open houses ahead of that filing.
Charlottesville – Gordonsville 230 kV Dominion Energy Open Houses
We encourage community members to attend in person to learn more about the projects and ask questions. PEC’s position is that all options for minimizing and mitigating impacts should be considered, including undergrounding the line. Learn more →
- Gordonsville: Wednesday, Feb. 25 @ 6-8 p.m.
- Gordon-Barbour Elementary School
(500 W. Baker Street, Gordonsville)
- Gordon-Barbour Elementary School
- Charlottesville: Tuesday, March 3 @ 5-7 p.m.
- Courtyard Marriott Charlottesville University Medical Center
(1201 W Main Street, Charlottesville)
- Courtyard Marriott Charlottesville University Medical Center
Stay tuned for more information as these projects, and others, move forward in our community.
Thank you!
Rob McGinnis, PLA FASLA
Senior Land Use Field Representative
Albemarle & Greene Counties
[email protected]
(434) 962-9110
P.S. Key data center reform bills have crossed over and need your support. Please call and write your legislators to voice your support for SB619 and SB339. SB619 would require state review of interconnection of new hyperscale data centers and SB339 mandates fair allocation of capital expenditures, like this $1 billion dollar transmission line project, to the data center customers driving the demand.