Dominion proposes Yeat substation; Maroon Solar CUP returns

Piedmont Environmental Council reports Dominion Energy’s proposed Joshua Falls–Yeat 115-mile, 765 kV transmission line terminating at a Yeat substation near Richardsville, and that Strata Energy has resubmitted a conditional use permit for the 65 MW Maroon Solar project in Culpeper County.

• Main announcement: Dominion Energy and joint-venture Valley Link Transmission (Dominion, Transource, FirstEnergy Transmission) propose a 115-mile, 765 kV Joshua Falls–Yeat line that ends in a massive Yeat substation near Richardsville; the substation is being positioned to serve future data centers (~1.8 GW of new power). Culpeper County requires a conditional use permit (CUP) for new substations, so the Yeat substation will be reviewed by the Planning Commission and approved (or not) by the Board of Supervisors; a Valley Link public meeting was scheduled Thursday, March 5, 5:30–7:30 p.m., Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department.

• Background and related actions:Strata Energy resubmitted the Maroon Solar CUP for a 65 MW utility-scale project that reduced total disturbed acreage from >671 acres to 548 acres with ~300 acres under panels but is reported to disturb 584 acres of forested land; DEQ cited related Strata/Dominion projects (Bookers Mill, Cerulean, Walnut, Moon Corner) for 2025 stormwater violations, and DCR flagged overlap with the Southern Culpeper Diabase Flatwoods Conservation Site (associated with the globally rare Northern Piedmont Mafic Barren and Downy Phlox) and recommended a rare-plant inventory, which PEC says Strata did not address in the application. The Planning Commission meeting for Maroon Solar was scheduled Wednesday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m., 302 N. Main Street, Culpeper, VA.