WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — NextEra Energy Transmission provided an informational session on the Mid Atlantic Resiliency Link during the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Summit Thursday.
Kaitlin McCormick, senior director on the project execution team, told those in attendance the need for the MARL has developed as technology has advanced over the last decade. Projections show that the demand trend is becoming even steeper as more data centers come online and as AI computing becomes more common.
“After decades of relatively flat electricity demand, America has entered a new era of rapid load growth,” McCormick said. “That’s driven by increased electrification of homes and businesses, domestic manufacturing, and large industrial facilities.”
The Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link, often shorted to MARL, is a proposed 107.5-mile, 500-kilovolt high-voltage power line planned to run from Dunkard Township, Pa., through parts of West Virginia including Monongalia, Preston, Mineral and Hampshire counties and down to Gore, Va.
The project is being considered after PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, identified reliability issues resulting from a loss of power generation sources, support for new power sources and additional electricity demand in the region.
The state Public Service Commission is being asked to approve the project. MARL developers filed a joint motion with the PSC this past Monday asking for the commission modify the schedule including a delay in a scheduled evidentiary hearing and pushing back a final decision until May 22, 2027.
McCormick told the crowd at the Greenbrier Thursday that MARL will provide stability to the grid when completed but will benefit the state during the construction phase by creating 200 to 300 jobs that will earn up to $37 million. The project will generate about 135 million in local economic activity and generate about $130 million in state and local tax revenue.
“Access to reliable, abundant, and affordable power has become a competitive advantage, and the electric grid has become the backbone of a competitive economy,” McCormick said.
When the line is complete, McCormick said it will be a signal that West Virginia is not only open for business, but the state electrical infrastructure can handle the increased volume. The MARL will provide ample capacity to grow for decades into the future.
“They need confidence that power will be available every hour of every day for decades to come,” McCormick said. “Generation creates capacity. Transmission creates confidence, and confidence attracts capital.”
McCormick noted that West Virginia can be a powerhouse when it comes to energizing the country for the 21st century. She said companies will grow and expand where they can find reliable access to adequate amounts of electricity at an affordable cost.
“Across the country, states are competing for manufacturing facilities and industrial expansion, and now West Virginia has many of the things these companies are looking for,” McCormick said.
McCormick said there are opportunities for additional interconnections and possibly substations that could serve portions of West Virginia. On the north end of the MARL, she said there is an opportunity for a substation at the 502 Junction at the Monongalia County/Pennsylvania state line.
“In addition to that, the project would also collect to the Black Oak Substation, about 1/2 mile from the Mineral County/Maryland border, and this too will help power multiple transmission lines that flow into West Virginia,” McCormick said.