Virginia Joshua Falls-Yeat transmission line threatens farms

Valley Link Transmission LLC (a Dominion Energy-led joint venture) revealed a possible route for the Joshua Falls-Yeat transmission line, putting the Goodwin family farm and hundreds of other properties in central Virginia at risk.

• Project specifics and immediate action: The proposed Joshua Falls-Yeat line would run roughly 115 miles from Lynchburg to Culpeper, create a 200-foot right-of-way, clear 2,600+ acres of forests and farms, and place transmission towers up to 160 feet tall roughly every quarter mile; the project is described as a 765 kilovolt backbone connecting the Joshua Falls and Yeat substations and is within a possible route announced by Valley Link Transmission LLC (a joint venture including Dominion Energy).
• Background, drivers, and procedural context: The buildout is driven chiefly by data center demand (Dominion reported requests to serve over 70 gigawatts of data center load); Dominion plans to spend up to $3 billion per year on transmission projects, PEC reports over 250 transmission-related projects planned or under construction, and the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is intervening at the Virginia State Corporation Commission on cost allocation disputes (PEC plans additional interventions in 2026). Other related projects cited include Morrisville–Wishing Star, Charlottesville–Gordonsville upgrades, and a FirstEnergy rebuild crossing Shenandoah National Park.