SCC Approves Route 3A for Golden-Mars Transmission Line Project

The Virginia State Corporation Commission has issued its final order approving Route 3A for the proposed Golden-Mars electric transmission project in western Loudoun County, ending months of uncertainty over the project’s final alignment.

The June 29 ruling authorizes Virginia Electric and Power Co., doing business as Dominion Energy, to move forward with the project using Route 3A after the Loudoun County School Board did not provide consent for the commission’s preferred Route 4.

The Golden-Mars project is designed to strengthen electric reliability in Loudoun County through construction of new high-voltage transmission infrastructure, including a 500-kilovolt transmission line, multiple 230-kilovolt transmission lines, and upgrades at the Golden, Mars, Prentice Drive, Sojourner and Shellhorn substations.

Dominion filed its application with the State Corporation Commission in March 2025 seeking approval and a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the project.

Following an evidentiary hearing, the commission issued an order April 9 approving construction of the project and determining that Route 4 was the least impactful overhead route and best served the total public interest. However, commissioners noted that because portions of Route 4 crossed Loudoun County Public Schools property, the school board’s consent was required before Dominion could use that route.

The commission warned at the time that if the school board declined to consent, an alternate route would need to be approved quickly to address what it described as an urgent electric reliability need.

In its April order, the commission also concluded that Route 3A would be the next-best alternative if Route 4 could not be established. Commissioners emphasized that they considered Route 3A to be inferior to Route 4 “by almost every objective measure,” but identified it as the best available option under the circumstances.

Over the following months, the commission required Dominion to provide regular status reports while negotiations continued. On June 2, the commission notified the parties that unless the school board consented to Route 4, it intended to issue a final order approving Route 3A on or about July 2.

On June 24, the Loudoun County School Board and Loudoun County jointly asked the commission to delay its decision until approximately Aug. 13 to allow additional time. Loudoun County withdrew from that request the following day.

Dominion reported June 25 that it still had not received confirmation that the school board would consent to Route 4.

After hearing arguments June 26, the commission denied the request for additional delay.

In its June 29 final order, the commission concluded that “continued delay in ordering a final route for this Project unreasonably jeopardizes the provision of reliable electric service within the Commonwealth.”

Because the school board had not consented to Route 4, the commission determined that route was no longer feasible for meeting the project’s urgent reliability needs and formally approved Route 3A.

The order requires Dominion to submit a final electronic map of the approved route to the commission within 30 days so the certificate of public convenience and necessity can be updated with the approved alignment.

The commission also granted the motion allowing counsel for the Loudoun County School Board to withdraw from the case and dismissed the proceeding, bringing the regulatory review to a close.

With the final route now approved, Dominion may proceed with construction of the Golden-Mars transmission project in accordance with the conditions established by the commission.