FirstEnergy staff members talk with residents about the upcoming transmission line project in the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center on Aug. 13. Photo by Ainsley Hall

SHEPHERDSTOWN — FirstEnergy hosted an open house event at the Shepherd University Wellness Center on Aug. 13, where it invited the public to come ask questions and learn more about the transmission line project.

This line will travel through Frederick County, Virginia, for 17.9 miles, into Clarke County, Virginia, for 0.2 miles, cross into Jefferson County for 15.4 miles and pass into Loudoun County, Virginia, for 10.5 miles to provide energy and answer the increasing demand for electricity.

Labeled as the Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek Improvements Project, it will upgrade 44 miles of existing 138-kV transmission line, creating a double circuit line with 500-kV and 138-kV wires. Will Boye, spokesman for FirstEnergy, explained that this line is designed to create more reliable energy to customers.

“There’s a growing demand for electricity across the board, not just data centers but residentially and commercial customers,” Boye said. “There’s the electrification of transportation, and, yes, data centers are certainly a part of the increase in demand for electricity. This project is going to enhance transmission system reliability for everyone. Having a strong and robust transmission system is vital to reliable energy.”

One of the biggest things Boye talked about during the event was the new towers for the project. FirstEnergy is proposing using tall and slim poles to try to reduce the need for additional easements. Potomac Edison still plans on acquiring new rights-of-way between the Stonewall and Woodside substations in Frederick County, Va., as well as the Feagans Mill and Millville substations in Jefferson County.

Boye explained that other than these locations, these new towers will reduce the need for any other easements.

“The decision to use the vertical really reduces the need for any more,” Boye said. “We may need a little bit more right of way in some limited areas, just to establish line clearances, but that decision to use the vertical is really big in terms of reducing the community impact.”

Using these monopoles could also reduce the environmental impact, reducing the need for additional permits. Boye said that property owners have not yet been reached out to concerning these easements around the substations, but it will happen in the near future.

Concerns still linger, however, as residents worry about the use of eminent domain and possible rate increases. Some people attended the event, holding signs to protest project.

FirstEnergy is currently focusing on hosting public information meetings in several locations along the line to inform people on the project. Starting this fall, it plans on completing the Virginia State Corporation Commission and Public Service Commission of West Virginia applications.

It hopes to start construction in 2027 and complete the project in 2030. More information on the project can be found at https://www.firstenergycorp.com/about/transmission_projects/westvirginia/gore-doubs.html, including an interactive project map.