Route options for the proposed Valley North transmission project have narrowed in Virginia, but the fight over the high-voltage line is far from over.
Officials in Frederick and Clarke counties are still working to stop the proposal as residents review updated maps showing where the line could run.
Here's what to know
In Frederick County, Valley Link Transmission Company has cut three earlier study segments down to two route possibilities for the Valley North project. In Clarke County, revised maps identify the single remaining route after other options were removed.
According to The River 95.3, the Frederick County Board of Supervisors still opposes the project despite the removal of the southernmost segment. County officials said the route revisions have not changed their overall stance.
The proposed line would run about 260 miles as a 765-kilovolt project from Putnam County, West Virginia, to Frederick County, Maryland. It would also include substations in Hardy County, West Virginia, and Frederick County, Maryland.
Valley Link said the project is meant to improve electric reliability while supporting rising power demand across the region, per The River 95.3. The routing debate involves utilities, regulators, and nearby communities trying to understand what major energy infrastructure could be built around them.
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More background
A Clarke County Preservation Society update dated Oct. 14 and featuring Clarke County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Weiss said two routes previously considered in Clarke County were no longer under review, The River 95.3 reported.
Clarke County supervisors still oppose the one remaining alternative.
Clarke County said the updated maps are intended to show residents more clearly where the route could go and which communities may be affected. More broadly, transmission choices influence both the regional grid and what infrastructure ends up near homes.
Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission, and Transource Energy are developing Valley North together. The project was chosen through PJM Interconnection's regional transmission planning process, even as local governments argue that grid upgrades should not come at the expense of community input.
What's being done?
Frederick County Government said county administration, with the Board's support, will "continue pursuing appropriate legal avenues to challenge the proposal," The River 95.3 reported. The dispute is moving beyond route adjustments into a formal effort to block or change the project.
The broader tension remains unchanged: Valley Link said new long-distance transmission is needed for reliability and growing demand, while county leaders are fighting to keep a 765-kilovolt line out of their communities. That standoff could slow a project framed as part of the region's energy future.
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