High-Voltage Transmission Line Planned Through SW Pa.

A $1.7 billion high-voltage power line project to help the regional electric grid improve reliability and meet rising power demand in other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region is planned to be built through 10 Western and Central Pennsylvania counties.

The Kammer-Juniata Project is a 765-kilovolt (kV) line that will span 220 miles from the Kammer substation in northern West Virginia, through Greene, Fayette, and eight other counties to the Juniata substation in Perry County. It was among the projects selected in February by PJM Interconnection as part of an $11.8 billion transmission expansion plan.

The line is being built by NextEra Energy and Exelon, with plans to be in service by 2031.

PJM is the operator of the regional electric transmission grid for 13 Mid-Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania. PJM is struggling to keep power flowing to where it is needed as demand for power from data centers is rising, especially in the eastern part of the state. As the demand for power has risen, the capacity of the aging grid is being strained. In order to meet reliability concerns, PJM approved projects during a transmission expansion window across its region, as demand is also accelerating in other states.

The project will require about 5,400 acres of property to be acquired over a 200-foot right-of-way, much of it through rural areas. The route attempts to parallel existing right-of-way, but much of it will not. It will be the highest voltage line in Pennsylvania, capable of carrying 2,200 to 2,400 megawatts (MW) of power, several times more than a 500-kV line can.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which reviews energy projects, has expressed “significant concerns” about the project. The PUC commissioners this week wrote a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, raising questions about the potential impact on consumers and how the project was chosen by PJM.

“The combined package of incentives requested is not tailored to address risks or challenges faced by the applicant and, if granted, will likely result in unjust and unreasonable rates for consumers,” the commissioners noted. “Pennsylvanians would be ill-served by a final selection occurring until all possible alternatives have been thoroughly evaluated in a more transparent manner.”

The letter urges FERC to deny the requested incentives unless a more complete evaluation of its costs, benefits, and alternatives is completed and state approvals are received. The state Office of Consumer Advocate has also expressed concerns about the costs and challenges of the project.

Infrastructure upgrade costs are typically shared by all utility customers, but increasingly state and federal officials are working to make sure that data center developers pay for the costs of upgrades to provide them with energy and ensure that they are not passed along to other ratepayers. The PUC raises concerns that the incentives and rate structure of the Kammer-Juniata line will shift the bulk of the costs to ratepayers who will receive no benefit from it.

The project is still in the early stages, and NextEra will have to perform a study of possible routes and hold open houses in those communities impacted.