Throughout West Virginia’s history, we have often been an afterthought. Planes fly overhead, most never landing here. Motorists zip through the state on their way to other destinations. Our location, rural character, and even our name contribute to West Virginia being neglected in national conversations, from business to politics.
West Virginia again seems to be an afterthought with the proposed Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link, a 500kV transmission line that is planned to run 105 miles, connecting power plants in Greene County, Pennsylvania, to substations in Frederick County, Virginia, where power-thirsty data centers are waiting. The line would traverse Monongalia, Preston, Mineral, Hampshire, and Jefferson Counties.
West Virginians along the proposed route are pushing back on the plan, which they believe offers few benefits to the mountain state. Last month, the Monongalia County Commission adopted a resolution opposing the project.
“It’s pretty simple- they want to shove this thing down our throat and say oh by the way you also get to pay for it and you don’t get benefit from it,” Monongalia County Commission President Jeff Arnett said. “It’s a no brainer, we’ve heard from both sides of the aisle- this is the most one-sided thing I’ve been apart with the commission.”
The project makes sense on paper. Major upgrades to the grid are necessary to power data centers. It is estimated that by 2030, data centers will make up 12 percent of the electricity demand in the United States and that will only continue to grow.
The regulatory environment in Virginia is such that constructing a new power plant there is expensive and unfeasible. The Virginia Clean Economy Act, passed in 2020, committed the state to achieving 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050. Utilities must retire fossil fuel plants by 2045 and cannot receive new permits for fossil fuel generation after certain reviews.
The transmission line is much more cost-effective than attempting to build a new power plant near the data centers in Virginia.
There are also tangible benefits for Pennsylvania and Virginia. According to the Observer-Reporter, Fayette and Greene Counties could see a combined $20 million in tax revenue over the 40-year life of the project. In Virginia, tax revenue from data centers using the power transmitted over the MARL line will exceed $1 billion, driven primarily by developments in Loudoun and Prince William Counties.
How will West Virginia benefit from the line?
“Improving the electric grid in West Virginia and throughout the region is a direct benefit to West Virginia,” Kaitlin McCormick, NextEra Transmission Senior Project Director, said. “This line can benefit all of the industries, businesses, and electric consumers in West Virginia and surrounding states.”
That’s hardly a consolation for people like Beth Ann Bossio, whose family Christmas tree farm is along the proposed path. Mary Gee, a Jefferson County resident, says her and her neighbors’ homes could be torn down to make way for the line.
Understandably, West Virginians feel like we are an afterthought in this conversation. After all, will someone logging on to ChatGPT to create the next viral meme in Lackawana County, Pa, care if vast swaths of the West Virginia countryside are scarred by this transmission line?
Of course not.
Like other times in our history, West Virginians are being asked to sacrifice without reaping the benefits. Residents along the transmission line route will have to give up control of their land, and in some cases, their homes or businesses.
West Virginia should not be an afterthought or just in the path of progress. It should be a player in developing AI technology by providing the energy needed to move the technology forward. That takes planning and a regulatory environment that invites companies to invest in West Virginia rather than just pass through.
The question is not should this transmission line cut through West Virginia? The real billion-dollar question: Is West Virginia prepared to bring such companies here so they don’t want to cut through the Mountain State?