The Transmission Lines Coming
Through Frederick County
Three separate high-voltage transmission projects are being routed through Frederick County. They are owned by different companies and carry different names, but they share one purpose: moving electricity from West Virginia power plants to the data centers of Loudoun County's "Data Center Alley." Most of the power does not stay here.
It's important for residents to understand that most of the power these lines would carry does not stay in Frederick County. It passes through on the way east to Loudoun. Frederick County absorbs the cleared land, the new easements, and the lost views, for power that serves another county's tax base.
| Valley North | MARL | Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | 765 kV (highest-voltage AC line in the U.S.) | 500 kV | 500 kV |
| Owner | Valley Link Transmission Co. LLC (Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission, Transource/AEP) | NextEra Energy Transmission LLC | FirstEnergy / Potomac Edison |
| Length | ~260 miles total (~31 in Virginia) | ~107.5 miles | Continuation segment (Gore to Loudoun) |
| Route | Amos substation, Putnam County WV → Rocky Point substation, Frederick County MD | Dunkard Township, PA → Gore substation, Frederick County VA | Gore substation → Woodside substation → Loudoun (Goose Creek) |
| Frederick County impact | New 200-ft easement through Frederick and Clarke; route not yet chosen | New easements north of existing lines; ends at Gore | Rebuilds and expands corridor across Frederick into Clarke |
| Key new substation | Rocky Point (MD); Welton Springs (pass-through) | Woodside, Clear Brook (72 acres) | Uses same Woodside substation |
| VA SCC case | Not yet filed (June 2026) | PUR-2026-00018 (filed March 2026) | Application filed at VA SCC |
| Stage | Study area only; open houses underway | Route announced; SCC review | SCC review |
MARL and Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek are best understood as one line in two halves. It runs from the 502 Junction in Pennsylvania to the Goose Creek substation in Loudoun County. NextEra owns the northern half (MARL) and FirstEnergy owns the southern half (Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek). The two halves meet at the Gore substation in Frederick County.