Electric Line Replacement Through Manassas Prompts Public Meeting

MANASSAS, VA — As Dominion Energy plans to replace electric lines that pass through Manassas, a public meeting on construction will be held.

While the City of Manassas provides its own electric distribution within city limits, Dominion Energy has power lines that run through the city. For the Clifton-Winters Branch project, Dominion Energy is proposing to rebuild 7.25 miles of 230 kilovolt electric transmission lines with lines that could carry more electric current. The structures supporting the conductor would also be replaced to accommodate the wire made of heavier material.

The location of the project runs from outside Dominion Energy's Cannon Branch substation south of Nokesville Road in Prince William County through the City of Manassas to the Clifton substation near Clifton Creek Drive in Fairfax County.

Dominion Energy said the project will improve reliability and service. " A pre-construction video presentation by Dominion Energy said data center development, adding renewable energy onto the electric grid and increases in electric vehicles and other electric technology drives up demand for electricity. Western Prince William County is home to numerous data centers, and the Board of County Supervisors approved a massive data center development called Digital Gateway in late 2023.

"The Clifton-Winters Branch project is one of many projects to maintain a reliable grid while navigating these changes," a Dominion Energy spokesperson said in the video presentation.

According to the project webpage, the transmission line replacement will maintain the current right-of-way, with new structures in the same general area as the old structures. Electric service disruptions are not anticipated from the project, but it could cause traffic delays, moderate noise, neighborhood access impacts and limited environmental impacts. Construction is expected to begin in August 2024 and finish in early 2026.

A pre-construction meeting will be held Thursday, July 11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Salisbury Center, 8890 Mathis Ave., Manassas, VA.