ODEC is a not-for-profit wholesale generation and transmission electric cooperative owned exclusively by 11 not-for-profit local electric cooperatives that serve 1.5 million people in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, including A&N Electric Cooperative (ANEC).
ODEC owns 110 miles of high-voltage transmission lines on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. ANEC maintains the transmission lines and rights-of-way on behalf of ODEC. However, ANEC will not lead or construct this project.
ODEC will be replacing the existing line and adding a second, parallel line all within the existing rights-of-way to improve the reliability and resiliency of these transmission facilities.
The existing facilities are 50-60 years old. This upgrade is essential to maintain quality service and will improve reliability.
The need for this transmission project upgrade was determined by ODEC and reviewed by the independent regional electric transmission planning organization, PJM Interconnection. Transmission upgrades, expansions or enhancements are intended to address local reliability needs, such as customer service and load growth, equipment age and condition, operational performance and risk, and infrastructure resilience.
Transmission lines are power lines facilitating the bulk transfer of high-voltage electricity from power plants to electrical substations located near concentrations of consumers. ODEC provides high-voltage electricity to ANEC’s substations through ODEC’s transmission system on the Eastern Shore. ANEC converts electricity into lower voltages and delivers it to members’ homes and businesses.
You can recognize these high-voltage transmission lines by the taller steel, concrete or wooden pole structures that are typically on long, straight and uninterrupted routes.
Funding for the construction of this project will come from ODEC. Those costs will then be spread across all customers in the Delmarva Transmission Zone, which covers the entire Eastern Shore up to the Pennsylvania border. Cost will be recovered over the life of the transmission facilities.
The transmission lines being replaced and upgraded serve ANEC members in Northampton County.
Yes, extensive engineering studies are looking at the best way to mitigate impacts to landowners, the community, and the environment.
ODEC is directly contacting affected landowners to alert them to the project and to gather additional information used for the detailed design of the transmission lines.
Both transmission lines will be constructed entirely within existing rights-of-way, and construction access will be contained within the rights-of-way to the greatest extent possible.
ODEC is working closely with environmental engineers to incorporate best practices in both the design of the new lines and the construction. Care has been taken to minimize wetland impacts during construction, and there will be no permanent wetland impacts. The design considers plant and animal species that may inhabit the project vicinity.
ODEC will use new, weathering steel, single pole structures for the new lines, replacing the existing two-pole braced H-frame wooden structures. The new poles will be standalone, near the existing structures, and about 25 feet higher than the existing poles. Both lines will be constructed at the same time to avoid power disruptions, reduce community impacts during construction, and manage construction costs. Once the new lines are in service, the existing H-frame structures will be removed, and the work areas restored.
