State regulators in Virginia approved a route for new high-voltage transmission lines behind homes in Ashburn, a move residents say could disrupt both their living situations and their retirement plans as Northern Virginia's rapidly expanding data center industry drives up electricity demand.
What happened?
The State Corporation Commission signed off on Dominion Energy's Route 3A for the Golden-Mars transmission project, clearing the way for major new transmission lines in parts of Loudoun County.
As WUSA9 reported, state filings state that the project is largely tied to Northern Virginia's surging data center growth.
For homeowner Vicky Hu, the ruling reaches directly into her own life. She said the development would change "everything," noting she paid her mortgage for 20 years.
"I was supposed to retire here," she told WUSA9.
Dominion Energy is planning about eight to nine miles of transmission construction in the Ashburn and Dulles area, including monopoles that would stand roughly 185 feet tall.
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A Piedmont Environmental Council analysis found that 182 homes are within 500 feet of Route 3A.
Regulators previously determined Route 4 would create the least harm. But after the Loudoun County School Board refused to provide the approval needed for that route, the commission selected Route 3A instead.
Why does it matter?
The decision adds to the growing tension in places where digital infrastructure is expanding faster than communities can adapt to it: Who bears the cost of keeping all that technology running?
In this case, residents say that the burden is falling directly on homeowners. Families who bought into a neighborhood expecting stability now face the prospect of industrial-scale power infrastructure just beyond their windows.
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"I'm not opposed to data centers," Hu said, per WUSA9. "I'm not opposed to power lines. They need to put them where they belong."
Data centers have become a major driver of electricity demand, new substations, and transmission line construction across the region. While these facilities power the modern internet, residents are increasingly questioning whether communities are being asked to pay too high a price.
What's being done?
The commission said the project serves an "urgent reliability need" and concluded that putting the lines underground was not financially feasible.
"Cases this complex do not have simple solutions," SCC spokesperson Greg Weatherford said, per WUSA9.
Dominion Energy praised the ruling, calling the project "a critical investment in electric reliability for Loudoun County, Northern Virginia, and the broader region."
The company also said it intends to keep moving the project forward.
Residents, however, are pushing back. Under state law, any appeal goes directly to the Supreme Court of Virginia. Hu said she plans to file one.
"It's unthinkable that they can just propose something like this and only keep looking at the money, even when all of these people have come out — us included, our neighbors, everyone has said we don't want this," Hu's daughter, Madison Taggart, told WUSA9.
Hu said she wants people to understand how broadly this could resonate, noting, "I want them to know: If this can happen to me, it can happen to anybody."
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