Nansemond River Crossing

All seven structures – five in the water and two on the shore – have been in place since the 1960s. The structures have significant steel and concrete deterioration that warrant their replacement.

The height of the transmission structures is set in accordance with electrical clearances and other regulations intended to safeguard the public. The new structures in the water will be a similar style supported by taller foundations. The modern foundations are designed to reduce salt water exposure and withstand storm surges.

The overall average height increase for the structures in the water will be 8 feet for four structures and 14 feet for one structure.

The structures on the shore will be 10 feet and 20 feet taller than the existing structures, and single pole structures were selected (over towers) to minimize the structure footprint on land and avoid existing underground utilities.

We have studied the initial timelines and costs associated with potentially submerging this line. Our research confirmed that keeping the line overhead is the preferred option from an operational, reliability and cost perspective. An underground line would have a larger environmental impact and would require transition stations on either side of the water crossing. These stations would require the purchase of property, as well as additional time for siting, construction and permitting. Ultimately, the scope of the project will be determined by the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

Yes. Our easement agreements allow us access to private roads of property owners crossed by the right of way. The company, at its expense, will repair any private roads damaged by Dominion Energy or its contractors during construction of the line or during future maintenance. In addition, we will reimburse property owners for crop damage, and repair or replace fences or gates if we damage them.

Dominion Energy is sensitive to public concern about possible health effects from exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF). Dominion Energy includes data on the levels of both electric and magnetic fields produced by proposed facilities in all applications submitted with the State Corporation Commission (SCC). We continually monitor EMF research and speak to our customers and employees regularly to share the latest information available.

The Virginia SCC, which regulates the construction and operation of electric transmission lines of 138kV and above, considers EMF in every application. Hearing Examiner’s remarks from recent proceedings are below.

• March 23, 2009 Beaumeade-NIVO (Case Number PUE-2008-00063) Report of Michael D. Thomas, Hearing Examiner, concludes that "… electric transmission line electromagnetic fields do not represent a human health hazard."
• May 4, 2010 Hayes-Yorktown (Case Number PUE-2009-00049) Report of Deborah V. Ellenberg, Chief Hearing Examiner, states, "I find that EMF has not been identified as a carcinogen for human beings despite extensive study over many years, and there is, therefore, no basis on which to prohibit the Company from authorizing appropriate uses of its right of way."
• August 23, 2011 Hollymead (Case Number PUE-2011-00015) Report of Michael D. Thomas, Hearing Examiner, states, "The proposed facilities do not represent a hazard to human health, which finding is consistent with the Virginia Department of Health’s report entitled Monitoring of Ongoing Research on the Health Effects of High Voltage Transmission Lines (Final Report) dated October 31, 2000."
• May 1, 2015 Brambleton-Mosby (Case Number PUE-2014-00086) Report of Howard P. Anderson, Hearing Examiner, states, “Expert panels formed by national and international scientific agencies have evaluated the scientific research related to health and power-frequency EMF and provided conclusions that form the basis of guidance to governments and industries. It is the general scientific consensus of the health agencies reviewing this research that at levels associated with the operation of the proposed transmission line, or other common sources of EMF in the environment, the research does not support the conclusion that EMF causes any long-term, adverse health effects.

The Virginia Department of Health in its final report evaluating EMF research concluded:

"Based on the review and analysis of the exhaustive literature review and other research projects completed under the EMF-RAPID program, the Virginia Department of Health is of the opinion that there is no conclusive and convincing evidence that exposure to extremely low frequency EMF emanated from nearby high voltage transmission lines is causally associated with an increased incidence of cancer or other detrimental health effects in humans. Even if it is assumed that there is an increased risk of cancer as implied in some epidemiologic studies, the empirical relative risk appears to be fairly small in magnitude and the observed association appears to be tenuous. The studies published in the literature lack clear demonstration of a cause and effect relationship as well as a definitive dose-response gradient."

Additional information:

• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - Electrical and Magnetic Fields
• Virginia Department of Health Final Report on EMF Research
• View Dominion Energy's latest EMF update

In the United States, there are no federal standards limiting occupational or residential exposure to 60 hertz EMF. At least six states have set standards for transmission line electric fields; two of these also have standards for magnetic fields (see table below). In most cases, the maximum fields permitted by each state are the maximum fields that existing lines produce at maximum load-carrying conditions. Some states further limit electric field strength at road crossings to ensure that electric current induced into large metal objects such as trucks and buses does not represent an electric shock hazard. Of these states, edge of right of way magnetic field standards range from 150-250 mG, see chart below (Source, page 46, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - Electrical and Magnetic Fields).