Expanded Transmission Line Planned for Southwest Mountains

Posted on by PEC


This text was taken from an email alert sent out on May 12 2026. Sign up for email alerts →

The existing single-circuit transmission line through Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District will be rebuilt as a double-circuit. Photo by Hugh Kenny/PEC.

Dear Supporter,

The Southwest Mountains have long been a priority for The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) because of their layers of natural, cultural and historical significance. As data center-fueled infrastructure threatens this area’s unique communities and landscapes, we invite you to a community meeting Wednesday, May 13 to learn more about the proposed Charlottesville-Gordonsville transmission line and how you can make your voice heard.

Charlottesville-Gordonsville Community Meeting
Wednesday, May 13 @ 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Keswick Hunt Club, 626 Hunt Club Road, Keswick

Dominion Energy’s proposal is 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. This will significantly increase the size of the line and potentially expand the right of way through the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District and neighborhoods in the Pantops area.

Dominion is framing the upgrade as necessary for “reliability,” but it, and other energy infrastructure expansion across the state, is largely being driven by increased energy demand from data centers.

PEC’s Involvement

Learn more about this Dominion Energy project. Map of resources via PEC (see full size).

Across our nine-county region, PEC is leading the effort to mitigate data center infrastructure projects. Including the Charlottesville-Gordonsville line, we are engaged in 6 transmission projects, more than at any other moment in our history. Understanding the impact of these intensive projects on communities, we are allocating extensive resources to monitor local, state, regional, and federal forums where prospective transmission line projects are proposed and pursued. Our goal is to ensure communities get information about what’s coming and are equipped with information to weigh in knowledgeably about projects throughout the process.

PEC is engaging on this project in several ways:

  • In conversations with Dominion Energy and community members, we are advocating for full consideration of alternatives and mitigation of impacts such as:
    • undergrounding portions of the line,
    • minimizing heights while staying within the existing right of way,
    • better design of towers that blend in to setting,
    • minimal disturbance during construction, and
    • establishing enforceable limits on future expansion.
  • Participating in the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) hearing before the SCC.
  • Encouraging submission of comments about the line and impacts on communities and properties to the SCC — we need you!
    • We anticipate this project to file with the State Corporation Commission any day now.

At the community meeting Wednesday, May 13 PEC staff will present about the Charlottesville-Gordonsville project, how it fits into a broader data-center driven movement, and what you can do about it. RSVP →

Current line looking north through the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District; State Route 231 runs along the upper right corner. Photo by Hugh Kenny/PEC.

Why This Project Matters

Transmission line projects, even those limited to existing rights-of-way, can 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.

This Charlottesville-Gordonsville project cuts through scores of permanently conserved parcels, the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District and falls within the Monticello Viewshed Protection Area and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, and is proximate 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, which depends heavily on protecting the area’s historic and scenic landscapes — valued at nearly $1 billion annually.

Hope to see you there,

Chris Miller
President
[email protected] 
540-347-2334 x7100