Company reveals route plan for controversial Piedmont power line

Listen to this article

Following months of public opposition to its plans for a 70-mile high-voltage electric transmission line through three Maryland counties, the company responsible for building the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project revealed its route proposal Friday.

Residents of Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties, as well as state and local officials who represent the jurisdictions, have for months contended that the $424 million project would bring large transmission towers too close to residential areas, disrupt farmland, protected areas and businesses, and increase costs for ratepayers, among other concerns.

Residents and elected officials, including Maryland’s congressional delegation, have also said that the companies overseeing the project haven’t done enough to keep property owners apprised or to solicit public feedback.

But spokespeople for the Public Service Enterprise Group, a New Jersey-based company contracting with the regional grid operator PJM to build the transmission line, have said the project is necessary to counteract a growing energy deficit in Maryland driven in large part by the scheduled shuttering of coal power plants.

A larger energy deficit in the state could hike costs for ratepayers and increase the risk of rolling blackouts, according to PSEG.

Jason Kalwa, PSEG’s director for the Piedmont project, said that his team settled on its preferred route after analyzing more than 5,300 public comments over the last four months.

“The proposed solution is community-informed, reliable and mitigates impact to individuals, communities, and wildlife as much as possible while delivering a cost-effective solution for Maryland and PJM electric customers,” Kalwa said in a statement.

PSEG has proposed running the transmission line westward from a connection point in an existing Baltimore Gas & Electric line in northern Baltimore County, through Carroll County and into an existing power station in southern Frederick County.

As recently as Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Republican Rep. Andy Harris wrote to Kalwa urging his company to be responsive to public feedback and to hold more public meetings before seeking approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission, which regulates public utilities in the state.

“Should the consultation process indicate that PSEG’s proposed routes impose too high a cost on Marylanders, we urge PSEG to go back to the drawing board and consider other alternatives,” the lawmakers wrote.

In a Sept. 30 letter to Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and Carroll County commissioners wrote that questions remained about the scale and need for the project based on “undefined future data center development projects,” the potential use of eminent domain, alternatives like underground installation and the project’s aggressive timeline.

The company was expected to send letters with information about the proposed route and upcoming public information sessions to property owners along the proposed 150-foot-wide path.

An organization opposing the project called STOP MPRP has warned property owners that they’ll receive a letter from PSEG asking to negotiate an easement on their land to construct transmission towers and wires.

The organization’s website states in bold letters that property owners aren’t obligated to enter negotiations with the real estate agent assigned to them, and that they aren’t required to agree to sell their land or even allow the company or its representatives onto their property.

PSEG cannot use eminent domain to acquire land without approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission.

A Friday news release from PSEG stated that the company plans to send in required paperwork and formally request the Public Service Commission’s approval by the end of this year or early next. The company is looking to complete the project by June 2027.

PSEG has planned three public information sessions for November. The first will be Nov. 12 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Hunt Valley, followed by Nov. 13 at the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster and then Nov. 14 at the New Market District Volunteer Fire Company in Frederick County. The meetings will be from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.