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VA residents push back on Dominion Energy's power line proposal
The battle over data centers and the electricity needed to support them continues. In Northern Virginia, residents are speaking out against Dominion Energy’s latest proposal to put up power lines and substations.
BRAMBLETON, Va. - The battle over data centers and the electricity needed to support them continues. In Northern Virginia, residents are speaking out against Dominion Energy’s latest proposal to put up power lines and substations.
In Brambleton on Thursday, a town right next to Ashburn, community members are saying no to power lines going over their homes. They have signs all over the neighborhood that say "No to Power Lines."
The backstory:
Dominion Energy is proposing a transmission line project called "Golden to Mars." It will go from Route 28 to east of Dulles Airport.
A lot of the areas where the power lines would be installed are very residential. People who live in this community, including Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam says these power lines are dangerous and they'd be too close to homes and schools.
He says the lines should not be in their neighborhoods but if it has to be in the area to help support the nearby data centers, he believes they need to be underground.
"They are very invasive when they go through schools and communities right? And if you’re someone that bought a home and all of a sudden you see a power line going through your neighborhood, that decreases the value of your home and has a lot of other implications," Subramanyam said.
"We need to do better at the state level at the federal level in protecting residents and giving them a voice when it comes to these power projects and it’s going to cost people money on these utility bills," Subramanyam went on to say.
Dig deeper:
The congressman is calling out the Virginia State Corporation Commission, which regulates how powerlines are built—whether they are underground or above ground and how much it will cost to residents.
In a letter to them, he said, "The people in our communities deserve safe and comfortable places to live and go to school, and I am concerned that the Golden to Mars lines that are currently proposed to be above ground could have negative impacts."
The congressman is also asking the SCC to hold public meetings with the community before moving forward with this decision.
In the past, Dominion Energy has said that projects similar to this one are needed to keep up with growing demand and ensure reliable power.
FOX 5 did reach out to Dominion and we're waiting on this specific project and we are waiting to hear back.
What they're saying:
Dominion Energy released a statement to FOX 5 on Thursday, saying:
"Dominion Energy’s Golden to Mars Electric Transmission Project is an important regional reliability project and the project team has worked closely with residents, the Loudoun County Public Schools staff and the Loudoun County School Board over the past 18 months to develop route options for this project. The dense residential development in this area presents a challenging routing scenario in order to connect two substations important to Dominion's ability to provide reliable power to the region. Our team continues to be available to provide additional information and to further discuss the routing analysis, undergrounding constraints and technical information as needed. And we look forward to the SCC’s thorough review of the facts presented in the case."
What's next:
The SCC plans to hold two public hearings on the application in Loudoun in September:
- Thursday, September 18, 2025, Rock Ridge High School, 43460 Loudoun Reserve Drive, Ashburn, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
- Monday, September 29, 2025, Rock Ridge High School, 43460 Loudoun Reserve Drive, Ashburn, beginning at 6:30 p.m.