Two public information sessions are planned Thursday for Carroll County residents who want to learn more about a proposed $424 million upgrade to the region’s energy grid, called the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project.
The project aims to install 70 miles of new transmission lines through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties, with costs funded by customers of PJM, the organization responsible for operating and planning Maryland’s electric grid. Eminent domain may be used to seize private property, according to the project’s website.
The Carroll County info sessions will be Thursday, 2 to 4 p.m., and 6 to 8 p.m., at the Westminster Senior & Community Center, 125 Stoner Ave., Westminster.
The project has drawn criticism from some Carroll County residents, who say its true goal is to support the growing energy needs of corporate-owned data centers in northern Virginia by funneling power from plants in Pennsylvania.
Rebecca Herrick, a resident of the Wakefield Valley region of Westminster, wrote in an email to The Carroll County Times that she believes the project would disrupt historic sites and natural green spaces in the region and could also hurt local property values.
“We have zoning laws in place that restrict new residential development, if infrastructure is not in place to support it,” Herrick said in the email. “These same laws should apply to industries with massive electrical power needs. It seems as if citizens are being asked, after the fact, to make up for lack of oversight and planning. Approval of new data centers should be contingent upon the company (Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, etc.) erecting a new power source near the center to avoid stringing together power plants by erecting overhead transmission lines that are unsightly, hazardous and subject to destruction.”
Data centers are facilities that store large amounts of online data, using computer storage systems that typically require a significant amount of energy to maintain.
“PJM has had unprecedented data center load growth currently forecast by 2028,” according to the Regional Transmission Organization , and energy usage in the Dominion area of Northern Virginia was particularly explosive. Plans for new data center facilities in Frederick County are also in the works.
PJM is a Regional Transmission Organization and responsible for operating power systems that provide energy for all of Maryland. Baltimore Gas & Electric is a member entity within the organization, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
PJM awarded the project to Public Service Enterprise Group, according to PSEG’s website, and the proposed date of operation is June 2027. PSEG would most likely acquire property in the form of permanent easements, which would give perpetual rights to construct and maintain power lines. According to the company, PSEG prefers to acquire property rights by reaching an agreement with a property owner based on a market value appraisal, but may invoke eminent domain if an agreement is not reached.
“The project will have some temporary and permanent impacts on local wildlife and the environment,” according to PSEG, “but the routing and design process considers numerous factors to avoid or minimize impacts. Where impacts can’t be avoided, appropriate mitigation measures will be implemented.”
The electrical infrastructure project comes a month after Gov. Wes Moore signed the Critical Infrastructure Streamlining Act of 2024 . The legislation reduces the regulations for backup power generators that data centers use during power outages, according to the governor’s office.
The final route of the transmission line is subject to the Maryland Public Service Commission’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity process, which includes stakeholder feedback and is subject to land use requirements, according to PSEG.
PSEG will accept public comments until July 19 at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/1f1de68988cb440a823127713bd33286
In a statement Monday announcing the information sessions in Westminster, the Board of Carroll County Commissioners said that it “continues to learn about this project and recommends constituents attend one of the information sessions for a more in-depth conversation.”
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