PERRY COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — A recently approved project could bring hundreds of miles of high tension power lines from West Virginia to Pennsylvania, cutting through Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry Counties.
The proposal was approved by grid operator PJM, in February after several months of discussions.
NextEra Energy Transmission and Exelon Corporation will lead the project.
In a press release, the companies say the new 765-kV transmission lines are needed to help meet rising energy demand, especially as more data centers are coming online in Pennsylvania and around the country.
The companies say these new power lines are more efficient and powerful than ones that are currently being used. They claim the lines will have improved resilience during peak hours and leave a smaller environmental footprint.
The new transmission lines will connect a substation in Marshall County, West Virginia with the PPL Juniata substation located in Perry County.
Projected map for PJM Project 237. (Credit: PJM){ }
A spokesperson for NextEra says the route has note been selected yet. They went on to say, “Our goal is to work closely with communities to identify a route that avoids or minimizes impacts to landowners, communities and the environment, while strengthening access to safe, reliable and affordable energy for residents and businesses.” They said open houses will be scheduled to give the community a chance to provide input in the future.
NextEra says the lines will enable new generation to connect to the PJM grid, attract industrial investment, and create good-paying jobs during construction and after.
The project also has the support of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
During the approval process with PJM, “Team Pennsylvania” which is co-chaired by Gov. Shapiro wrote a letter in support of the project. They said it’s the type of project needed to strengthen the grid in Pennsylvania.
These projects, and others like them, would not only relieve existing congestion and increase west-to-east transfer capability but also help unlock new generation potential and support more than 10 GW of anticipated load growth.
However the project doesn’t have unanimous support.
Some environmental concerns were raised through the process, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA) expressed concern to PJM in its own letter.
We believe that likely in-state generation buildouts or faster-to-deploy alternatives utilizing existing ROWs could solve the problems this line intends to address while imposing lower costs and providing higher benefits to Pennsylvania ratepayers.
The OCA also called for PJM to reopen the bidding process. The office said it believes the longer window could allow for additional proposed solutions that are more cost-effective.
CBS 21 reached out to Governor Shapiro’s office and asked why there was a disparity between the two sides. A spokesperson wrote:
Governor Shapiro is laser focused on lowering utility costs for Pennsylvanians — and as an “all-of-the-above” energy Governor, he recognizes that with growing demand, there may be circumstances where we need to build more transmission capacity so we can increase generation, deliver more power, and lower costs to consumers. On this particular project, the Governor has directly communicated with its developers to voice his expectation that if they are to proceed, they will respect the legal rights of local communities and landowners along the proposed route and ensure that the data centers – which the line would benefit – pay their fair share of its cost. Our Administration will closely follow the progress of this project if it moves forward to ensure that the developer is meeting those standards.
The project is currently in the early stages. It’s expected to take several years to be built.