SUPERCONDUCTORS: New aluminum composite cables which have two to three times the carrying capacity as traditional lines which are based on 1950’s technology. AEP has purchased it three times, many have tested it, and China has purchased over 800 miles to address their grid congestion. Why doesn’t Dominion utilize this? Reason – 1950’s technology is cheaper.

DEMAND SIDE MGMT: programmed methods to cut back energy during peak hours during the summer. PJM’s own study states current DSM reduces only 1.9% off of peak demand, 40% lower than what it was in 1996. Furthermore the 1.31.2007 study reported 3% additional DSM can put off load capacity increases by at least two years! Dominion put out an RFP on 11.17.2006 for 300MW of DSM for which to compare to its cost for a 300MW generator for Northern Virginia. Covering their back-side or is that all that is needed, and why not 600MW? Reason – because lowered consumption during peak hours when electricity is most expensive, reduces Dominion revenue.

TECHNOLOGY: data monitoring and metering devices to assist the grid to communicate sending electricity where it is needed most. Although the technology is not commercialized yet, Dominion hasn’t tested anything along these lines, unlike other utility providers in other urban grids of Denver, Boston and SoCal who will have the 1st operational “SmartGrid” by the year 2010 to 2012. Within our state, the NoVa tech corridor and Va Tech are two of the leaders in technology within their respective domains who could easily partner with Dominion, but our state utility monopoly feels no need to lead, and prefers others take up the challenge.

EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS for larger industrial, corporate and retail facilities are only voluntary at a federal level, and neither Dominion nor the state offers a program to assist these facilities to cut energy waste. 70% of energy is consumed by businesses. Examples, Quad Graphics, the largest magazine print facility reduced 3.5MW of usage annually from ten plants; Bemis, a manufacturer of household goods reduced 0.75MW per year at one plant in Wisconsin. Encourage the change from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). Electricity is appx. 35% of total electricity used by businesses alone. In fact DOE estimates if 100% participation was met by U.S. businesses, 21,000 MW of electricity could be displaced by CFL’s. That is the equivalent of nearly 12 nuclear power plants the size of the current North Anna facility. Why doesn’t Dominion run commercials to change to CFL’s and to ask the public to pressure businesses to be more energy efficient? Reason – reduced energy consumption lowers Dominion revenue.

Dominion is restructuring its corporate existence from an energy conglomerate of sorts to strictly a generation, transmission and distribution company. The re-regulation bill that just passed the Va Assembly is claimed so Dominion can raise cash to develop more coal-fired power plants and to pay for the proposed North Anna expansion project. All this means more transmission lines. And forget about Dominion increasing the transmission from 500kv to 753kv, which have the carrying capacity approaching 3x of one single 500kv line. Dominion would rather run more transmission lines than to use technology which could reduce two more additional 200’foot wide right-of-ways. Reason – of course, a higher return on investment.

Being a monopoly, Dominion isn’t going to cut back an investment with a higher return for a lower one unless they are forced to. If these non-transmission solutions were really “wishful thinking” as Dominion Pres. Paul Koonce stated on 1.18.2007, then where’s the harm in releasing the info which states the same, and which so many public officials have asked for? This isn’t about being a tree-huggin’ energy industry hating liberal wannabe, it’s about what’s real, and unfortunately what is real is Dominion has a corporate mentality which pre-dates the 1970’s.

You say, “not in my backyard?” Not hardly. How about not in my state!

As you noted, “Dominion is not saintly” and that is putting it very mildly. First, as I noted this plan is purely about profit. Dominion is discarding any attempts to be a good corporate citizen by attempting to build these lines not for VA, but to ship electricity from dirty coal-fired plants in the Midwest, through Virginia and up to the Northeast. This plan will further exacerbate the Dominion’s pollution problem; if Dominion were a country it would rank 34th in the world in terms of pollution!

Second, Dominion has not provided any proof that power capacity is a real problem. In fact, Power capacity in Virginia is “not a reliability concern at this time,”¹ according to a 10-yr outlook by the North American Electric Reliability Council (2005).

Third, if the facts prove their claims, why is Dominion spending millions in ratepayers money on a misleading ad campaign and lobbying activities? As this recent article notes, Dominion is a very powerful force in Richmond, donating millions in the past decade to state legislators,

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=117937&ran=33105

Fourth, we all should care about this issue, no matter if Dominion proposes the current path through Prince William, Loudoun and Fauquier counties, along 66, or anywhere in Virginia. All Dominion ratepayers will foot the bill for this multi-million dollar project while Dominion earns up to a 12.5% return on investment.

These are just a few of many points to consider, and I would urge everyone to read the facts and tell Dominion that Virginia doesn’t need, doesn’t want and can’t afford these power towers.