Loudoun County supports undergrounding segments of Golden to Mars Transmission Line

Members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors have joined with other elected officials and community leaders to reiterate their support for placing select segments of Dominion Energy’s Golden to Mars transmission line project underground. Loudoun County is recommending that Dominion underground any transmission lines planned to pass closer than 500 feet from any residence or public school. This would minimize impacts of the project on homes, schools and established neighborhoods.

“While Loudoun County has no role in determining whether transmission lines are above or below ground, we do have a voice,” said Chair At-Large Phyllis J. Randall. “The Board of Supervisors has taken steps to ensure our voice is heard by the State Corporation Commission and our utility providers. An alternative is possible and must be considered to assure any impact on our schools and residential communities is mitigated to the extent possible.”

The Golden to Mars project is an active application before the State Corporation Commission (SCC), which includes 500/230-kV Golden to Mars transmission lines and the Lockridge and Sojourner 230 kV loops and related projects. In May 2025, Loudoun County filed a notice of participation (PDF) in Dominion Energy’s application to the SCC, which allowed the county to join the case and to provide input and testimony on the proposed power project during the review process.

Board members appeared at a news conference Oct. 16, organized by attorney Bryan Turner, who represents the Loudoun Valley Estates Homeowners Association and is coordinating with other neighborhoods close to the proposed route of the project, which are also participating in the SCC case.

Members of the Board were also among the many local officials and members of the community who spoke in support of the underground option at the SCC’s two public hearings in Ashburn Sept. 18 and 19.
 
How to Provide Comments to the SCC
Loudoun County encourages members of the community who wish to provide input on the Golden to Mars project to continue to participate in the public process.

• Public Hearing by Telephone: The SCC will hold a public witness hearing by telephone, beginning at 10 a.m., Monday, Dec. 15. Pre-registration is required. The deadline to register is 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9. The hearing will be webcast. Pre-registration may be accomplished in
  one of two ways:
  • Online:  Complete a public witness form for case number PUR-2025-00056 on the SCC’s website.
  • Phone: Call the SCC at 804-371-9141 during normal business hours, 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m., and provide your name and the phone number you wish the commission to call to reach you during the hearing.
•  Written Comments: Written comments will be accepted through the SCC’s website until 5 p.m., Dec. 9. Comments can also be submitted by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments must refer to case number PUR-2025-00056.
   

Transmission Lines in Loudoun County/Related updates to Comprehensive Plan
The SCC has regulatory authority over electric utilities in Virginia and is the governing body that approves high-voltage transmission line projects prior to construction. Loudoun County has no formal role in the approval process for transmission lines, but the county does closely monitor proposals for transmission lines proposed for construction within the county and encourages members of the community to stay informed about active applications and opportunities for public participation in the SCC cases.

Land use planners in the Department of Planning & Zoning review all transmission line applications submitted to the SCC for consistency with the County’s Comprehensive Plan and environmental protection initiatives and forward comments to the SCC on the respective applications.

Loudoun County is actively working to improve the county’s ability to influence and guide the location, development, and management of high-voltage transmission corridors and electrical infrastructure with proposed amendments to the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan. More information about the Electrical Infrastructure Comprehensive Plan Amendment project is online at loudoun.gov/ElectricalCPAM.

More information about transmission line projects affecting Loudoun County can be found at loudoun.gov/TransmissionLines.