Nearly 600 Sign Up For Golden To Mars Power Line Public Hearing

ASHBURN, VA — The Golden to Mars power line project that has drawn concern from some residents has nearly 600 residents signed up for the December public hearing at the State Corporation Commission. The SCC has responded to potential time restraints by lowering the time allotted to each public speaker at the hearing.

The SCC has ordered that it will give two minutes rather than five minutes to each public speaker at the Dec. 15 telephone public testimony hearing. Instead of continuing to the evidentiary hearing for only case participants after the regular public testimony, the SCC will take as many public testimony speakers as possible on Dec. 15 and 19.

In addition, the written public comment period is being extended to Dec. 30. As of the SCC's new notice, there have been 1,015 written comments submitted.

Vicky Hu, a Loudoun Valley Estates resident who has raised concerns about the Golden to Mars project, stressed the importance of public speakers addressing the SCC directly. Hu said some speakers signed up for the in-person Ashburn hearings in September did not get to chance to testify yet. She said the hundreds of speakers are signed up for Dec. 15 "because people deeply care about what's being proposed."

"But under the SCC’s ruling, testimony time has been cut from five minutes to about two, and testimony will end on a hard deadline even if people are still waiting," Hu told Patch. "There is no schedule or assigned order for the testimony – currently, residents will receive one random call sometime over several days. If that call comes while you’re at work, in class, or traveling, you lose your opportunity to speak."

Hu praised the extension of written comments but said it "shouldn’t completely replace a resident’s right to address the Commission directly, which can be more impactful."

"This project could have lasting generational impacts on our community. When decisions carry that kind of weight, the people who live here deserve a full and meaningful voice in the process," Hu said. "I hope the Commission will consider these factors going forward, and continue to work with us as we make our voices heard."

The SCC has not yet set a new time for the evidentiary hearing, which is only for entities that have filed for participation in the Golden to Mars case. There was disagreement between Dominion Energy and other case participants on when to set the evidentiary hearing's new date.

According to the SCC filing, Loudoun Valley Estates II Homeowners Association requested the evidentiary hearing be rescheduled for Feb. 6, 2026 due to significant public testimony, citing agreement from most case participants.

However, Dominion Energy said the evidentiary part of the hearing should be reconvened on Jan. 6, 2026 if it does not finish on Dec. 19. The electric company cited a June 1, 2028 deadline to maintain electricity reliability for customers.

The SCC said it is convening a scheduling conference to determine when the evidentiary hearing should be scheduled.

The State Corporation Commission is the decision maker for Dominion Energy's proposed new Golden to Mars power line project with 500 kilovolt and 230 kilovolt power lines. It is one of three projects Dominion Energy has pursued to meet the data center load in the Ashburn area, along with Wishing Star to Mars and Aspen to Golden. Along with the upcoming December public testimony hearings, there were two SCC hearings at Rock Ridge High School in Ashburn during September.

Along with Dominion Energy, participants in the Golden to Mars case include Loudoun County, Loudoun Valley Estates II Homeowners Association, Piedmont Environmental Council, Theresa Ghiorzi, Loudoun Valley Estates III Homeowners Association, HOA Roundtable, Loudoun Valley Estates Homeowners Association, the Loudoun County School Board and Loudoun County Public Schools, and the Coalition to Protect the Broad Run Stream Valley.

SEE ALSO:

• Underground Power Line Route Proposed By Loudoun County, Others In Golden To Mars Case
• 'Setting Precedents': Ashburn Neighbors Fight New Power Line Route Proposal