UPDATED Aug. 20, 2026 — Dominion Energy has confirmed it is splitting its proposed North Anna to Bristers high-voltage transmission line into two separate projects and delaying the portion that runs through Stafford County until fall 2027.
The utility’s response comes after a Stafford citizen group, Towering Concerns, claimed in a recent email that Dominion delayed the project and changed course because of resident feedback.
In an email to Potomac Local on Wednesday, Dominion spokeswoman Aisha Khan confirmed the project will be filed as two separate applications with the Virginia State Corporation Commission.
“The North Anna to Thornburg project will be filed this fall. The Thornburg to Bristers project is planned to be filed in the fall 2027,” Khan wrote.
The northern leg — Thornburg to Bristers — includes the entire route through Stafford County.
Khan said filing the applications separately “will provide the Dominion Energy project team additional time to continue to review potential routes, technical requirements, and environmental considerations for the longer northern portion of the project.”
On whether community input played a role, Khan stated: “Community feedback plays a role in every Dominion Energy electric transmission project. We felt it necessary to make sure we’ve evaluated all routing options, specifically in Stafford County.”
She also directly addressed a claim by Towering Concerns that there is no engineering problem at the proposed Thornburg substation. “There are no engineering issues at the proposed Thornburg Substation,” Khan wrote.
Dominion said there is no connection between the project timeline or the split and the proposed Dominion-NextEra merger.
Khan added that the combined projects “are important electrical solutions that solve critical reliability concerns in our region in the 2030 timeframe. They’re both needed to bring in bulk electricity, powering customers in central Virginia. While these customers do include future data center development they also include residential development and small business and industry that bring jobs to our region.”
Dominion said it values community input and plans additional public meetings in 2027.
Towering Concerns had told supporters that Dominion was delaying the filing of segments 3 through 7 to consider alternate routing and that company representatives credited the group’s feedback for the change. The group continues to argue that Stafford remains at risk and is urging residents to stay engaged with HOAs, local officials, and future SCC proceedings.
The project, originally known as the Kraken Loop, would build new 500 kV and 230 kV lines across Louisa, Spotsylvania, Caroline, Stafford, and Fauquier counties. Opponents have raised concerns about proximity to homes and schools in Stafford.
No SCC application has been filed yet for either portion of the project.
