Dominion Virginia Power is committed to providing reliable electricity to our customers, and this sometimes requires the upgrade and construction of additional electric facilities. In addition to providing reliable electricity to our customers in a safe and economical manner, Dominion is also obligated to comply with the reliability standards of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and must maintain its electric facilities to meet these standards.
To ensure that residents in the greater Petersburg area have continued reliable electric service, Dominion Virginia Power will build a new 230,000-volt (230 kV) transmission line and substation facility to serve the City of Hopewell and Prince George County. Dominion has received SCC approval (view details below) and is planning to upgrade an existing transmission line originating at the Hopewell Substation terminating at the proposed Prince George Substation near Middle Road.
The greater Petersburg/Hopewell/Prince George area is experiencing significant growth such as the substantial Fort Lee expansion and industrial developments including the announced Rolls-Royce manufacturing facility. The growth in this area has caused Dominion Virginia Power to advance the schedules for electrical transmission projects that were originally planned for the future.
An existing electric transmission line runs from the Hopewell Substation to Fort Lee and connects to an existing Prince George Electric Cooperative substation facility on Middle Road (see map). This transmission line and the substation facility are in need of an upgrade and expansion to address local electric load growth, maintain service reliability, and relieve the potential overload of other transmission lines in the area.
Prince George Substation (near Middle Road)
230 kilovolt Transmission Line: Hopewell Substation to Prince George Substation (2.5 miles)
115 kilovolt Transmission Line: From Prince George Substation to Fort Lee (2.1 miles)
The proposed transmission line and substation upgrades will:
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is responsible for determining the need, route and environmental impact of transmission lines at 138kV and above in Virginia. The company filed an application for the Hopewell-Prince George 230 kV Transmission Line and Price George Substation on April 26, 2010. On September 27, 2010, the SCC authorized Dominion to construct and operate the new 230 kV single circuit transmission line and the proposed Prince George Substation. (> Review the final order.)
Dominion will work together with Prince George Electric Cooperative (PGEC) to develop our future substation facility in Prince George County near Middle Road, adjacent to the existing PGEC electric delivery point which is scheduled to be retired and converted to a transmission voltage substation connected to this new 230 kV line, in conjunction with this project.
Spring 2010
Spring 2011
Fall 2011
Winter 2012
Summer 2012
Contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Hopewell-Prince George project.
Due to the interconnected nature of the electric transmission grid, all cooperative customers in Virginia rely on Dominion's transmission infrastructure to deliver reliable power. In particular, this project between Dominion's Hopewell Substation and the proposed expansion of Prince George Electric Cooperative's delivery point near Middle Road facilitates PGEC's ability to serve new customers in their service area. See attached map for service area information.
No, the proposed transmission line will be constructed within an existing 100-foot right-of-way.
Yes, in some locations. Prior to building a new power line, the existing 100-foot right-of-way must be cleared to allow construction activities and eventual transmission line operation. Existing low-growing vegetation may be left in place when it does not interfere with construction activities. Additionally, trees located outside of the right-of-way which are tall enough to potentially impact the transmission line, may also be removed. These trees are commonly referred as danger trees; view a diagram of danger tree clearances.
Trees are cut to be no more than 3 inches above ground level. Debris that is adjacent to homes will be disposed of by chipping or removal. In other areas, debris may be mulched or chipped as practicable. Clearing will be accomplished by hand in wetland areas and within 100 feet of streams. Care will be taken not to leave debris in streams or wetland areas. Matting will be used for heavy equipment in these areas. Erosion control devices will be used on an ongoing basis during all clearing activities. Property owners will be notified before construction clearing begins.
The new 230 kilovolt line and substation will maintain transmission system reliability and provide increased operational flexibility. As an area resident, this means fewer outages, and shorter durations should an outage occur.
Yes. Our easement agreements allow us access to private roads of property owners crossed by the right of way. The company, at its expense, will repair any private roads damaged by Dominion or its contractors during construction of the line or during future maintenance. In addition, we will reimburse property owners for crop damage, and repair or replace fences or gates if we damage them.
As part of the SCC application, Dominion completes an evaluation of potential environmental, cultural, and historical impacts of the project. Dominion works with many local and state agencies to complete these evaluations and mitigate any impacts. The company also submits annual Erosion and Sedimentation (E&S) Control Specifications for the construction and maintenance of transmission lines to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for review and approval. This project will be submitted for approval prior to construction. Our contractors receive copies of the E&S specifications and any additional permit conditions prior to construction and are directed to meet any requirements. The right-of-way will be rehabilitated when construction is complete.
Our enterprise-wide environmental report describes our commitment to responsible stewardship of natural resources and provides a wealth of information on environmental management and performance. We also invite you to read our Corporate Environmental Policy and our Greenhouse Gas report.
Dominion is sensitive to public concern about possible health effects from exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF). We continually monitor EMF research and speak to our customers and employees regularly to share the latest information available.
The Virginia Department of Health, in its final report, "Monitoring of Ongoing Research of the Health Effects on High Voltage Transmission Lines," said:
"Based on the review and analysis of the exhaustive literature review and other research projects completed under the EMF-RAPID program, the Virginia Department of Health is of the opinion that there is no conclusive and convincing evidence that exposure to extremely low frequency EMF emanated from nearby high voltage transmission lines is causally associated with an increased incidence of cancer or other detrimental health effects in humans. Even if it is assumed that there is an increased risk of cancer as implied in some epidemiologic studies, the empirical relative risk appears to be fairly small in magnitude and the observed association appears to be tenuous. The studies published in the literature lack clear demonstration of a cause and effect relationship as well as a definitive dose-response gradient."
Additional information:
Dominion welcomes comments and suggestions from property owners and the general public. Contact us for more information and please let us know if you would like for Dominion to send you project updates or invitations to future opportunities for public participation.
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