Please see below for updated maps, photographic simulations and Questions/Answers. Dominion wishes to thank citizens, local/state/federal agency representatives and engaged stakeholders for providing us with valuable information during our ongoing evaluation of the project area. The company continues to gather community feedback, assess preliminary environmental, cultural and historical information and consider the costs of feasible alternatives within the Skiffes Creek study area.
Dominion is continuing to seek public feedback on a Surry-Skiffes Creek 500kV transmission line route, to compare it to the Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek 500kV transmission line route originally proposed. The 7.7-mile Surry-Skiffes Creek 500kV route would originate in Surry, cross the James River, and terminate in James City County. The scope of the Skiffes Creek-Whealton 230kV line utilizing existing right-of-way easements remains unchanged.
Please continue to visit this website for the latest project information. If you would like to be notified when updates specific to this project are posted, send us an email at powerline@dom.com. (NOTE: If you have previously sent an email regarding this project, Dominion will notify you when significant updates are available online.)
Dominion is committed to providing reliable electricity to our customers. Electrical demand in the Hampton Roads area is projected to increase by more than 20 percent by summer 2020. This growth will place a strain on the electrical grid, and create the potential for overloads and violations of North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards.
Recently announced plans for retirement of local generation facilities have accelerated the need for new transmission lines to be built and in service by late 2014.
As part of our thorough SCC application preparation, Dominion asks property owners, environmental organizations, natural resource managers, community leaders and other local stakeholders for their thoughts and input prior to presenting a proposed solution to the Virginia SCC. Preparation of the SCC application for this project began in fall 2011 and since then we have assessed preliminary environmental, cultural and historical information and calculated the costs of a solution utilizing this route.
Dominion continues to gather community feedback and concurrent to seeking public input, our project team continues to identify and refine electrically viable solutions and the feasibility of routing alternatives.
Photo simulations are provided by Truescape.
Here's an overview of the methodology used to ensure accuracy of the simulations developed.
Simulations of the proposed transmission structures are available below.
Simulations for the Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek 500kV route (view an overview)
Simulations for the proposed Skiffes Creek-Whealton 230kV route (view an overview)
Simulations for the Surry-Skiffes Creek 500kV route (view an overview)
Dominion is currently analyzing a Surry-Skiffes Creek 500kV transmission line route, to compare it to the Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek 500kV transmission line route that we continue to evaluate. The scope of the Skiffes Creek-Whealton 230kV line utilizing existing right-of-way easements remains unchanged.
Surry-Skiffes Creek 500kV Line – 7.4 miles total: approximately 1.5 miles on land in Surry County, 3.5 miles overhead across the James River, and 2.3 miles on land in southern James River County. Approximately 18 acres will need to be acquired for new or expanded right-of-way.
Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek 500kV Line - 38 miles total: appr. 25 miles uncleared, 13 miles existing, cleared corridor
Skiffes Creek-Whealton 230kV Line - 18 miles: all existing, cleared corridor
Dominion’s new line projects will:
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is responsible for determining the need, route and environmental impact of transmission lines at 138 kV and above in Virginia.
Dominion intends to file an application with the SCC in May/June 2012. Documents related to the case are made available to the public on the SCC Docket Search section of the SCC web site. In addition, interested parties may also comment directly to the SCC by sending an email to sccinfo@scc.virginia.gov.
To learn more about this process, view our SCC process map.
If you have questions about the Skiffes Creek 500kV and Skiffes Creek-Whealton 230kV projects, send an e-mail to powerline@dom.com, or call us toll free at 1-888-757-6698.
The company continues to gather community feedback, assess preliminary environmental, cultural and historical information and consider the costs of feasible alternatives within the Skiffes Creek study area which includes the greater north Hampton Roads region.
Yes. Approximately 17 miles downstream from Surry, Dominion operates a double circuit 230kV line (Line number 214 between Surry & Winchester and Line 263 between Chuckatuck & Newport News) west of the James River Bridge at VA Route 17. The line was energized in 1969. There are 18 towers that are located in the river, ranging from 165' to 290' in height overall, which includes 15-foot tall foundations.
Approximately 35 miles upstream Dominion also operates a 500kV line from Surry to Chickahominy which is located near Lawrence Lewis, Jr. Park. The line was energized in 1971. There are 2 towers that are located in the river that are 415' in height.
Dominion considered both an underwater and a hybrid of underwater/overhead construction options but neither of these will allow time to complete the project by the needed date of mid-2015. The overhead 500kV project estimate is approximately $60 million, while an underwater project of this magnitude would range from $310-$390 million and could likely not be completed before 2017.
Yes. Generation plants provide necessary power and transmission lines deliver the power where needed. The proposed Skiffes Creek transmission projects are required to be in service by 2014 to transmit power to the north Hampton Roads area when Yorktown Power Station is retired. The recently announced Brunswick County Power Station, in the Southside region, is scheduled to be in service by summer 2016 and will help replace the capacity lost when Yorktown and Chesapeake Energy Center are retired. System upgrades and additional transmission lines still will be needed to transmit the power generated from the Brunswick County Power Station to the regional electric grid and into Hampton Roads.
Easement agreements (also referred to as "right-of-way agreements") provide Dominion with a specified set of property rights needed to construct, operate and maintain electric facilities across real property. At the time the easement is acquired by Dominion land owners are compensated based on the fair-market value of the property acquired for the easement and any damages to the remainder of the property outside the easement area. The property owner(s) still own(s) the land but the easement rights granted to Dominion are perpetual and run with the title to the land.
Dominion acquired the easements from Chickahominy to Skiffes Creek with the intention to develop electric transmission infrastructure. The easement documents clarify Dominion’s right to proceed with "the construction, operation and maintenance of one or more lines of poles, towers or structures, together with all wires, attachments, equipment, accessories and appurtenances desirable in connection therewith, for the purpose of transmitting or distributing electric power." Acquisition of right-of-way easements through voluntary negotiation does not require the approval of any governmental body.
Due to the interconnected nature of the electric transmission grid, all power users in the area rely on Dominion's transmission infrastructure to deliver reliable power. The new 500 kV and 230 kV lines will provide increased operational flexibility and greater system reliability. As an area resident, this means fewer outages, and shorter durations should an outage occur. Additionally, the localities ultimately crossed by these lines will each benefit from the increased property tax revenues paid by Dominion if ordered by the SCC to build and operate the proposed electric transmission facilities.
As part of the SCC application process, Dominion is obligated to consider and study all viable corridors. An engineering analysis indicates that using the corridor in New Kent County is not a viable option because collocating structures west of Lanexa Substation would not solve NERC violations.
Dominion will continue fine-tuning the routing analysis, and the final report will be available in the application Dominion files with the SCC in April 2012. Ultimately, the SCC will make the final decision as to where Dominion is required to build.
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 reasonably mitigate any impacts. The company also submits annual Erosion and Sedimentation (E&S) Control Specifications and an anticipated list of transmission line projects for the construction and maintenance of transmission lines to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for review and approval. This project will be included in the annual submittal 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.
The company’s construction of new transmission line facilities complies with the Chesapeake Bay Protection Act (CBPA) in accordance with 9VAC10-20-150. This Virginia Administrative Code provision provides that construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of electric transmission lines comply with Virginia’s regulations implementing the CBPA if such construction, installation, operation and maintenance adhere to any one of the following:
(i) regulations promulgated pursuant to the Erosion and Sediment Control Law (§10.1-560 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) and the Stormwater Management Act (§10.1-603.1 et seq. of the Code of Virginia),
(ii) an erosion and sediment control plan and a stormwater management plan approved by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, or
(iii) local water quality protection criteria at least as stringent as the above state requirements.
The company adheres to both items (i) and (ii) by complying with annual Erosion and Sedimentation Control Specifications for the construction and maintenance of transmission lines as reviewed and approved annually by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. In addition, the company obtains a Virginia Storm Water Protection permit for each project and we follow required inspection and recordation procedures during construction, which in many cases exceeds CBPA standards. We also make use of matting systems which reduce or eliminate the disturbance to sensitive wetland ecosystems. For more information visit the Department of Conservation and Recreation website on the CBPA.
Preliminary engineering for the new 500kV and 230kV lines has not been completed and structure design has not yet been determined. Here are some examples of typical structures.
The operational and planning functions of Dominion's electric transmission system are provided by PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization (RTO). It's too early in this process to say exactly what the project will cost but Dominion’s initial estimates range between $150-$250 million. No further information is available because the total costs associated with this project will be allocated to PJM customers to varying degrees based on the final PJM-approved configuration of the project, which has not been determined.
Dominion compensates property owners only at the time a new easement is acquired.
Property owners of record when the easements were first acquired were compensated and the easements were filed with county/city records departments.
For a copy of the easement that covers your property, contact your local county or city land records office. Dominion can also provide you with a copy. Email your request to powerline@dom.com with "Easement request" in the subject line. Allow up to six weeks for processing. For more information regarding Dominion easements, visit our website Right-of-Way page.
Dominion’s recent and near-term investments in Hampton Roads electric transmission infrastructure total over $482 million. They include:
Additional Reliability Projects
Dominion is sensitive to public concern about possible health effects from exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF). Dominion includes data on the levels of both electric and magnetic fields produced by proposed facilities in all applications submitted with the SCC. We continually monitor EMF research and speak to our customers and employees regularly to share the latest information available.
The Virginia SCC, which regulates the construction and operation of electric transmission lines of 138kV and above, considers EMF in every application. Hearing Examiner’s remarks from recent proceedings are below.
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:
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