New transmission line to be built across counties due to region's growing power needs

The Public Service Enterprise Group, an energy company based in New Jersey, plans to build a new 500,000-volt transmission line across parts of Frederick, Baltimore and Carroll counties as part of updates to the regional power grid to accommodate growing power needs.

The project, also called the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP), will be about 70 miles long. It will extend from northern Baltimore County through Carroll County and into the Doubs substation in southern Frederick County, according to a website about the project.

It is expected to go into service and start delivering power in June 2027.

The transmission line is an update to the regional power grid operated by PJM Interconnection, which coordinates the movement of electricity through multiple states, including all of Maryland.

PJM has predicted a significant increase in power demand on the regional grid due to new data centers to be sited in Maryland and Virginia that are estimated to require up to 7,500 megawatts of electricity, according to the company.

Additionally, 11,000 megawatts of power generation across the regional power grid slated be deactivated, meaning less power will be made even as the demand for electricity keeps growing.

In Frederick County, Quantum Loophole plans to build a campus of data centers on the former site of the Alcoa Eastalco aluminum smelting plant, which is about 2,100 acres, near Adamstown.

The company has already begun building infrastructure and installing fiber optic cables. The campus will be connected to the “data center alley” in Loudoun County in Virginia, which contains 31 million square feet of data centers.

A spokesperson for Quantum Loophole did not respond to requests for comment on the project on Thursday.

In a news release from January, PJM estimated that all of the necessary grid upgrades could cost about $5 billion.

The Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) said it had proposed the MPRP to PJM, which then selected the project to help address the projected increase in power needs.

PSEG said this project will cost about $424 million, according to the project website.

Because the transmission line is a regional project, customers served across PJM’s power grid will pay for the project under a cost allocation methodology approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

PJM has an online searchable database where people can search for projects and receive information on their statuses and costs.

Dan Lockwood, a PJM spokesperson, said half of the project costs are allocated to all the transmission zones in PJM’s grid based on what their peak electricity load is. The other half is allocated to the transmission zones that are “using” the project.

Of the power generation companies who would be “using” the proposed transmission line, the majority of the cost is allocated to Dominion Energy, which provides electricity throughout Virginia and a small part of North Carolina, according to a PJM transmission zone map.

Allegheny Power Systems and Pepco, also called the Potomac Electric Power Company, are also being allocated additional costs as they will be “using” the transmission line.

Allegheny Power Systems was previously acquired by the company FirstEnergy and includes the subsidiary Potomac Edison, which provides power to Frederick County.

Since MPRP is a regional project, it is subject to state and federal approval, according to Jen Specht, a spokesperson for the Frederick County Division of Planning and Permitting.

PSEG spokesperson William Smith said the company will be applying for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Maryland Public Service Commission later this year after gathering public feedback.

A CPCN allows someone to construct a new generating station or high-voltage transmission lines, according to the commission’s website.

PSEG will host several public information meetings in July in each of the counties the project will be built in. The Frederick County sessions will take place at the Brunswick Volunteer Fire Company on July 10.

The first session will be from 2 to 4 p.m., and the second will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

Smith said PSEG will eventually have to apply for some county permits as well, but that won’t come until after the transmission line route has been approved for the CPCN process by the Public Service Commission.

He said that potential routes for the project will be presented to attendees at the public information sessions.

When reached for comment on Thursday, Planning Commission Chair Joel Rensberger said this was his first time hearing about the project, but he isn’t surprised that it’s happening.

“The power consumption in Frederick County is likely to double over the coming years as the old Eastalco industrial site is redeveloped into the intended data centers,” he said.

“I would hope and expect that the utility commission that regulates this behavior is very respectful of historic properties, working agricultural properties and the interests of the residents in their planning.”

In a statement to The Frederick News-Post on Thursday, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said that her staff has had an informational meeting with PSEG about this project.

“We have encouraged PSEG to hold public input sessions for our community to learn about the project and share their thoughts,” Fitzwater said. “I encourage anyone with an interest to attend one of these public input sessions.”