SCC foregoes Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek power line

Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) has elected to bypass an alternative route for a 500,000-volt power line through eastern Charles City for another path through Surry County.

The decision came in a Nov. 26 press release through the SCC media and website. After reviewing an application from Dominion Virginia Power to find alternative routes for power lines to provide electricity to the Hampton Roads area, the SCC recommended the Surry County-Skiffes Creek option instead of the Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek option that would have run through Charles City.

In the 68-page document that recounted a timeline of events including studies, public hearings, and formal applications, the SCC chose the Surry County option for numerous reasons. Among the primary reasons are costs, most stemming from environmental studies and possible damages to tree canopies in Charles City. Cost savings could eclipse more than $50 million with the chosen path over the James River, instead of the Chickahominy River.

An impact on the historic county and its significance also weighed in with the SCC’s decision.

“The Surry-Skiffes Creek Line of the proposed project offers a reasonable path into the highly constrained peninsula where an overhead 500,000 volt transmission line is needed to reasonably ensure reliability,” said the SCC in the press release. “Comparing this option with the Chickahominy substation, we find that this path is the least cost viable alternative for addressing the identified NERC reliability violations presented and can be constructed in a timely manner.

“The Chickahominy alternative project has a higher cost than the proposed project and will have a greater impact on scenic assets, historic districts, and the environment,” concluded the statement.

Surry-Skiffes Creek power line would also be eight miles long, considerably shorter than the proposed Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek 37.9 miles, another factor in the SCC’s decision. If the Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek proposal was chosen, more than 1,100 residences would be affected by the line as it would fall within 500 feet of those homes. By comparison, Surry’s route will only impact 160 residences.

Issues of the proposed power line first came to the forefront at a Jan. 24, 2012 Charles City Board of Supervisors meeting by Judy Ledbetter, a key opponent of Dominion Power’s recommendation. There, Ledbetter and several other opponents spoke about 20 miles of easements that Dominion Power had obtained and wanted to use for the Chickahominy-Skiffes Creek substation. Ledbetter emphasized the environmental impact, as well as historical impact, to the county at the meeting. Less than two months later, the possibility of Surry-Skiffes emerged as a result of public hearings through more than 14 counties and seven cities.

Charles City District 3 representative and chairman Floyd Miles Sr. commented on the SCC’s decision after the board of supervisors’ meeting the same night.

“I am glad our comments and concerns were heard,” the chairman said. “Our citizens made their voices heard by opposing this power line, and I think they are pleased with the SCC’s decision.”

Ledbetter had a brief comment on what she claims as a victory.

“This is great news for the county,” she said.

As of the press release, Dominion Virginia Power has not filed an appeal of the SCC’s choice for the alternative route for the power line.