It didn't take long for Valley Link Transmission—backed by deep pockets from Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy, and Transource (funded in part by ratepayer dollars)—to launch its public relations effort. The messaging emphasizes "modernization," "grid reliability," "safety," and serving "growing energy needs" across Virginia. But let's be clear: this $1+ billion project, including the 115-mile Joshua Falls to Yeat 765 kV line, is largely driven by the explosive demand from data ce

Valley Link Transmission presented to the Louisa County Board of Supervisors on February 17th, 2026. Note this is basically a PR piece, saying how they are "strengthening the grid", "modernizing", etc. This is all so some already rich and powerful companies can participate in the AI datacenter gold rush. Without this power, their timeline for building out northern Virginia data centers is extremely cramped. Land owners are in their way.

Everything is WONDERFUL! Initial reports from Virginia local media—such as WRIC (Richmond), WVIR/29News (Charlottesville), CBS19 (Charlottesville area), Farmville Herald, and others—have begun appearing in mid-February 2026, coinciding with Valley Link's February 12–13 announcement of the Joshua Falls to Yeat 765 kV transmission line project. These pieces largely announce the project's launch, highlighting its scale (115 miles, roughly $1 billion cost, spanning up to nine Cen