MORGANTOWN – NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic told the state Public Service Commission on Monday that it once again intends to apply for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for its MidAtlantic Resiliency Link Project (MARL).
NextEra told the PSC it will apply in anywhere from 30-90 days. It said this is a renewal of the notice it filed on Aug. 27, which expires on Wednesday.
In West Virginia, opposition to the MARL line has been widespread. As of Tuesday, there were 1,199 letters of protest filed with the PSC. Residents and public officials saying the line will simply move power from Greene County to data centers in Virginia with no direct local benefit.
MARL is a proposed transmission project to build a new 105-mile 500-kilovolt transmission line stretching from Greene County, Pa., to Frederick County, Va. Depending on the route selected, it could pass through Monongalia and Preston counties, along with Hampshire County and Mineral counties, Allegany Garrett county in Maryland and Fayette County in Pennsylvania.
PJM Interconnection selected MARL and the related Valley Link Transmission line that is planned to run from the John Amos plant in Putnam County eastward to Frederick County, Md., among a number of projects, based on its long-range Regional Transmission Expansion Plan, to address reliability issues associated with loss of power generation sources, support for new power sources and additional electricity demand in the region.
