Dominion Energy sues Prince William supervisors over rejected Vint Hill substation

By Hannah Prewitt

MANASSAS, Va. — Dominion Energy is suing the Prince William County Board of Supervisors over the board’s rejection of a planned expansion of the utility’s Vint Hill substation in Nokesville. Dominion argues that the board went beyond its legal authority when it blocked a project that the regional grid operator has said is needed to prevent power overloads.

The utility filed the 36-page lawsuit Thursday, Oct. 22, in Prince William County Circuit Court, WTOP reported. The Prince William Times, which first reported the suit, described it as an emergency lawsuit. In it, Dominion calls the denial “unlawful” and says thousands of Northern Virginia residents “may lose access to reasonably adequate service if the project is not built,” according to WTOP. The board unanimously denied Dominion’s special use permit for the roughly $300 million upgrade on Sept. 22, according to Patch.

“The county does not comment on active litigation,” county spokeswoman Nicole Brown told the Prince William Times.

What Dominion wants to build

The project would replace the existing Vint Hill switching station on Vint Hill Road with a larger facility, with new power transformers, 135-foot towers and two 40-foot-tall buildings, according to the Prince William Times. It would use gas-insulated equipment containing sulfur hexafluoride, or SF6, a potent greenhouse gas. The newspaper reported that the upgrade is needed mostly to power new data centers.

The station sits across the street from the Braemar neighborhood, in an area where thousands of new homes are planned. The land is zoned for agricultural and residential use, which is why the expansion needs a special use permit, Patch reported.

Residents opposed the plan because of the facility’s industrial appearance, possible noise and pollution, and concerns that it would bring more high-voltage transmission lines through the area. When they denied the permit, supervisors cited its proximity to homes and schools, and some criticized what they described as a lack of transparency from Dominion about the project’s size and scope, according to the Prince William Times.

Dominion’s argument

In its lawsuit, Dominion says the project is required by PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, to prevent severe overloads expected by late 2027, according to the Prince William Times. The utility says PJM identified the need in 2022 and approved the expansion in a 2024 plan.

“Prince William County and neighboring jurisdictions are experiencing unprecedented electric load growth across residential, commercial, industrial, and data center customers,” Dominion said in a statement. “Delays could threaten reliable service for thousands of Northern Virginia residents, disrupt related projects, and expose the company to fines.”

The core of the legal argument is that a county’s power over the project is limited to land use: whether the site is suitable for a substation, not whether a substation is needed. “The board did not find that the property is an inappropriate location for a substation … Indeed, a substation already exists on the property,” the lawsuit states, according to the Prince William Times.

Dominion also argues that the board’s discussion strayed into matters outside its authority, including transmission planning and the use of SF6, Patch reported. “The Supervisors’ comments made clear they were exercising a local veto over the Vint Hill Project in order to block potential future transmission line development in their community,” the complaint says, according to Patch.

The utility points out that county staff found the project consistent with the comprehensive plan. The Planning Commission approved the project’s public facilities review in September 2025 but made no recommendation on the special use permit, according to Patch.

Dominion also says it was transparent and conducted extensive outreach. In a news release, the utility said it answered community questions and met with individual supervisors multiple times, WTOP reported. “We trust the legal avenues we now must pursue will provide a thorough evaluation of the case and recognize its urgent need,” Dominion said.

The opposition

Elena Schlossberg of the Coalition to Protect Prince William urged the board to defend its decision. “Dominion’s tactics are obfuscation and intimidation, and that’s what we see happening in real time,” she told Patch. She said she hoped the board would remind Dominion and the data center industry that it is “in charge, not them, by defending their legislative authority to deny a substation.”

The bigger picture

The case tests how much say Northern Virginia localities have over the power infrastructure that data centers need. Prince William’s board has approved large data center projects in recent years, and Dominion’s lawsuit says those approvals are part of the reason for rising demand, according to the Prince William Times.

No hearing date had been reported as of Tuesday.

The Inquisitor is seeking comment from Dominion Energy, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and its chair, the county attorney’s office, PJM Interconnection and the Coalition to Protect Prince William. It is also asking the Virginia State Corporation Commission whether the project requires its approval.