A rendering shows the SCC-approved route (red) and other routes that were under consideration. (Photo courtesy Dominion)
Although Dominion Virginia Power’s over-river power line does not yet have all the approvals needed to complete construction, the company is beginning work on the line on its land in Surry.
Dominion emailed a construction plan to WYDaily on March 10 that showed construction activities have already begun on Dominion’s land in Surry to pave the way for the 500kV power line to be built over the James River into James City County. Though the company has begun work, there is no indication of when – or if – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will issue a permit for the line.
The construction work Dominion is in the process of executing is not in an area where a USACE permit is required, but the company has informed USACE of its plans. According to the email, the following work will take place:
- February to May: Install foundations for the line’s circuit breaker and associated equipment.
- March to April: Relocate some lines and put a portion of an existing circuit underground.
- May 1: Install power line foundations on the Surry property.
Dominion expects work to begin on the crossing to James City County in June, with the entire project built out by Dec. 31, 2015.
The construction timeline Dominion projected hinges on USACE issuing a permit by late May. Randy Steffey, the environmental scientist with the Norfolk District Regulatory Branch of USACE assigned to review the project, has said throughout the process he cannot estimate a timeline for the permit’s issuance.
“We’re really so early in our process we just don’t have a time estimate,” Steffey said in a March 11 interview.
Though it is unclear whether Dominion will receive the permit from USACE by May, the company has accepted the risks associated with purchasing materials and beginning construction.
“It is Dominion’s standard operating procedure to order and stage project materials concurrent with the regulatory review. This helps us to be prepared to begin construction immediately if and when we receive the necessary approvals,” the emailed timeline reads. “We accept the risk involved with ordering materials before receiving all required permits because the materials can be reissued to other projects as needed.”
Currently USACE is gearing up to work through a process with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The process will require VDHR to survey all historical resources — including Colonial Williamsburg, Carter’s Grove, the Colonial National Historical Parkway, Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne and Kingsmill — to determine whether the power line could have an adverse effect. VDHR will examine extending a half-mile on either side of the power line’s path. The area also includes parts of Ft. Eustis, the James River “ghost fleet” and Hog Island.
Eventually, USACE will ask VDHR to determine whether there is an adverse effect on the historical resources. From the day USACE asks for a review, VDHR will have 30 days to return a report indicating whether there will be an impact. If VDHR determines the line will have an adverse effect, additional time will be needed to figure out whether it can be mitigated, which would require an agreement between several groups before the line could move forward with construction.
USACE is also waiting on information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, which was contacted to review the river’s wildlife population and determine whether it would be affected by the line. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has already determined no land-based animals will be affected.
A final determination has not been made as to whether an Environmental Impact Study is required. USACE will write reports throughout the process that could create a need for an EIS later. If required, Dominion previously estimated the study would take about a year to complete. Chemical company BASF Corporation, which spent $100 million over two decades on chemical pollution remediation work, is being considered as part of USACE’s process. Steffey said the land will be evaluated to determine whether the line would have a negative impact.
CBRE Group Inc. commercial real estate representative Chris Henderson, who said he has been marketing BASF’s property for sale for 12 years, said at a recent meeting the power line would cross through the area where BASF was working. If that happens, it could cost BASF $90 million of work.
Another piece of USACE’s review deals with the line route. Although the State Corporation Commission issued a ruling that approves a specific route, USACE could determine another route is better.
“The SCC’s order … is completely independent of the corps and has no bearing on our path forward,” Steffey said.
USACE will look at alternate line routes and is still exploring the possibility of burying the line, Steffey said. He said his office has issued permits for buried 230kV lines, but has never issued a permit for a higher voltage buried line. As part of its review, USACE can coordinate with other offices to determine whether burying the line is best, but that has not happened yet.
Though USACE’s public comment period has closed, a decision still has not been made as to whether a public hearing should be held on the line.
USACE is not the only group from whom Dominion needs to acquire a permit. Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the City of Newport News and the City of Hampton need to issue permits for various pieces of the line. Once the power line leaves the planned Skiffes Creek Switching Station, it will carry power to the Whealton Substation in Hampton.
James City County has not given up its fight against the line. A Virginia Supreme Court appeal of the SCC’s ruling and a Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court case to require a county-issued special use permit for the Skiffes Creek Switching Station are still pending.
Related Coverage:
- BASF Appeals to James City Authority for Help to Prevent Power Line Route
- State Commission Approves Dominion-Preferred Over-River Power Line
- Dominion Asks SCC to Decide on Over-River Power Line by March
- SCC Hearing Examiner Recommends Against Dominion-Preferred Power Line Route
- Dominion Seeks Extension to Keep Yorktown Station Running Longer
- Dominion May Need to Resubmit Army Crops Application for Over-River Power Line
- James River Association Joins JCC Appeal on Over-River Power Line
- JCC Supervisors Vote to Appeal SCC Ruling on Dominion Over-River Power Line
- SCC Reopens Over-River Power Line Case, Sets Hearing Date
- SCC Reopens Case on Dominion-Proposed Power Line Over James River
- JCC EDA Won’t Give Dominion OK on Power Line Until Other Owners Agree
- SCC Gives Green Light to Dominion’s Over-the-James Power Line
- Is Burying Proposed Power Line Across James an Option?