Commission Weighs MARL Transmission Line Through WV

Public Service Commission hearings on the 58.9-mile MARL segment through four West Virginia counties concluded October 30.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Utilities

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a single steel transmission tower on a forested ridgeline, cables sweeping across a valley under overcast sky. — Regulators are weighing NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic's proposal to build a 58.9-mile, 500-kilovolt line through four West Virginia counties after five days of hearings. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should West Virginia approve new high-voltage transmission lines crossing local land?

Public Service Commission hearings concluded on the proposed MidAtlantic Resiliency Link, a 107.5-mile, 500-kilovolt line running from Pennsylvania toward Virginia. NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic seeks approval for a 58.9-mile portion through Monongalia, Preston, Mineral and Hampshire counties.

Why it matters

Company and regional grid representatives say the project would help address growing electricity demand and reliability concerns, and a PJM representative tied it to projected demand growth and power plant retirements. PJM's projected net increase in demand is primarily outside West Virginia, which has raised questions about who bears the cost.

NextEra obtained about 85 option agreements out of 282 parcels, roughly 30 percent, and the company's bill projection rests on its own cost and financing assumptions. The commission will decide whether those figures hold up under review.

The players

Public Service Commission of West Virginia

The state regulator with authority to approve or deny the transmission line application.

NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic

The developer seeking approval for the West Virginia segment of the MARL project.

PJM Interconnection

The regional grid operator that identified the line as part of its response to projected demand growth.

The details

Five days of hearings were held on the project, and PSC Engineering Division technical analyst Daniel Egnatoff previously recommended denial, as did a state utility engineer before the hearings began. The commission earlier denied a request to delay the hearings.

October 30, 2026: Hearings on MARL concluded.
November 23, 2026: Initial briefs due to the commission.
December 4, 2026: Reply briefs due to the commission.
End of 2026: Commission targets issuing an order.

Market Landscape

The MARL proceeding reflects PJM's regional planning process, which has drawn projects into states where much of the projected demand growth is not located. Cost allocation across state lines is the central tension in the West Virginia case.

Residential customers of Mon Power and Potomac Edison could see added charges on their monthly bills beginning in 2032 if the line is approved. The exact impact depends on the cost and financing assumptions the commission ultimately accepts.

The takeaway

Transmission projects can carry costs far from where their demand growth occurs, so state regulators must weigh regional planning against local impacts. Residents can follow the proceeding through the PSC case information system under case number 26-0075-E-CN.

What happens next

Initial briefs are due to the commission on November 23, 2026, followed by reply briefs on December 4, 2026, with a commission order targeted by the end of 2026.