To meet the growing demand for reliable electricity in Northern Virginia, Dominion Virginia Power and Allegheny need to build a new 500,000-volt (500 kV) transmission line. Here are some considerations:

• The Northern Virginia Transmission System Review (KEMA Report) concluded there will be "significant problems in the system that will require new transmission facilities by 2011." P. Jeffrey Palermo, executive consultant with KEMA Inc., included the report in his testimony before the SCC to underscore the need for major new transmission system improvements in Northern Virginia.
  
  > Learn more about the KEMA Report and testimony, and view related videos.
  
  
• The Meadow Brook - Loudoun transmission line is needed to alleviate a projected overload on another 500kV power line that runs from Dominion's Mt. Storm Power Station in West Virginia to a main transmission substation in Doubs, Md. Without a new line, there is a growing risk of an electrical blackout in Northern Virginia by 2011. Northern Virginia has faced significant increases in electrical demand over the past 10 years, and is expected to face an additional 8 percent of demand growth by 2011.
  
  
• The growing demand for electricity is fueled by population growth rates, which are among the highest in the nation. Population estimates produced by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service show Loudoun and Prince William County are the two fastest growing counties in the state. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Loudoun is also the fourth fastest-growing county in the country. Other fast-growing Virginia counties in the United States are Spotsylvania (37), Culpeper (52), Stafford (53) and Prince William (75). Additionally, there are 20 known and 25 planned new data centers on the drawing board for Northern Virginia. The realignment of Fort Belvoir and continued capital improvements at Washington Dulles International Airport, Metrorail and Tysons Corner will also drive increased electrical demand.
  
  
• The stress on the system is well recognized. A study (The National Electric Transmission Congestion Study) conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy in August 2006 placed Northern Virginia in one of two national "critical congestion areas" for electricity transmission.
  
  
• The DOE report stated that the region requires "billions of dollars of investment in new transmission, generation and demand-side resources over the next decade to protect grid reliability and ensure the area’s economic viability."

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