Potomac Edison Seeks Maryland Regulatory Approval of Estimated $66m Rebuild Project

Potomac Edison on Aug. 3 filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) requesting authorization to rebuild the existing Doubs to Goose Creek transmission line located in Frederick and Montgomery counties in Maryland.

The Doubs-Goose Creek 500-kV Transmission Line is an approximately 18-mile, extra-high voltage (EHV) line linking the EHV system in Maryland to the EHV system in Virginia, the company said, adding that the Doubs-Goose Creek Rebuild would replace facilities that have been in service for more than 40 years and are approaching their expected end of life. As a result of the rebuild, the line’s maximum operating capacity would increase from 2,442 MVA to 4,330 MVA, the company said.

Potomac Edison noted that it owns 15.2 miles of the 18.3-mile Doubs-Goose Creek line in Maryland, while Dominion Energy Virginia owns the remaining 3.1 miles of the Doubs-Goose Creek Line in Loudoun County, Va. Dominion has already started preparations to rebuild its portion of the line during the same period of time, Potomac Edison said, adding that it is now seeking approval to make a corresponding upgrade to the 15.2-mile segment of the line in Maryland to address such concerns as potential overloads, the age of the existing facilities, and future growth in electrical demand.

The proposed route for the Doubs-Goose Creek Rebuild uses existing transmission corridors primarily owned in fee-simple by Potomac Edison and, therefore, would not deviate from the existing route, the company said.

The line begins at the Doubs substation located near Buckeystown, Md., and traverses in a southeasterly direction for 15.2 miles in Frederick and Montgomery counties to the Maryland/Virginia border. At the first structure in Virginia, which is located about 200 feet from the border, the ownership of the line passes to Dominion, the company added, noting that the line continues for an additional 3.1 miles to the Goose Creek substation located near Leesburg, Va.

Discussing physical, biological, aesthetic, and cultural features, and conditions of the site and adjacent areas, Potomac Edison said that it consulted with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service related to species of concern in the project area. For instance, the company said that habitat for three amphipod species occurs in the project vicinity, but based on the information provided by DNR, those species are located outside of the project corridor. The project’s impact on the natural, cultural, and historical features of the surrounding environment would be minimal because the project would use the existing corridor and assumes the placement of structures in the same, or about the same, locations as existing structures, the company said.

According to the direct testimony of John Rostock Jr., on behalf of Potomac Edison, the total cost of the project is estimated at $66m – $65m for the transmission line rebuild and about $1m for associated substation work.

Among other things, the company said that it requests that the commission issue a procedural schedule that would permit the commission to enter a final order granting the CPCN by January 2023, which would permit for construction, including the acquisition of equipment exclusively for use in project construction, to begin in spring 2023.