A coal-fired power plant in Anne Arundel County — Brandon Shores — that serves hundreds of thousands of Marylanders is scheduled to be shut down in 2025.
Due to the impending power plant closure, PJM Interconnection — which coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia — has required an urgent upgrade in the transmission system to maintain reliability and the flow of power to the 65 million people it serves.
Hence, the cost of the transmission line upgrades will be passed onto ratepayers in the areas.
This hefty price tag is making its way to Baltimore County’s doorsteps. We have been speaking with many residents who have questions and are concerned about how these changes will impact their communities.
When the Brandon Shores power plant closes, our region of Maryland will have to import power from the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. BGE plans to install high-voltage power lines in Harford and Baltimore Counties to import energy from Pennsylvania.
They have announced the modification of over 35 miles of transmission lines. This may affect property values in communities like Kingsville and White Marsh. However, this issue may impact all communities in the region as electric bills will go up.
As part of this project, BGE will be upgrading several existing BGE substations, constructing one new substation in both Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, and modifying approximately 35 miles of transmission lines on existing BGE rights-of-way between the Pennsylvania border and southern Baltimore County.
Many constituents are deeply concerned about the expanded power lines near their homes and the potential health risks of exposure to high-voltage power lines. BGE is hosting a public community meeting where residents can learn more about this power transfer and line modification project. We will attend this meeting and hope you can join us.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, May 23, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the cafeteria at Perry Hall High School (4601 Ebenezer Road Perry Hall, MD 21136).
The Brandon Shores power plant is located just over the recently fallen Key Bridge on the shoreline of Hawkins Point overlooking the Patapsco River. In 2020, Houston-based Talen Energy Corporation, which owns Brandon Shores, reached an agreement with The Sierra Club to shutter Brandon Shores and two other major coal power plants in the region.
This came after litigation from the eco-group that has been pushing for the abandonment of coal-sourced energy for years. The settlement was made in exchange for an agreement from the Sierra Club to avoid future litigation or permit disputes related to coal at Talen Energy’s transitioning sites.
So while many Marylanders clamor for increased electrification and a full transition over to green renewable energy, PJM says that the forthcoming shutdown of Brandon Shores will disrupt the reliability of the region’s power grid. PJM has sounded the alarm for a potential blackout for millions of consumers.
This is a scenario that FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) Commissioner Mark Christie called “potentially catastrophic.”
This time of unprecedented change for the U.S. electric grid can get thorny quickly, and these decisions affect customers’ electric bills. The emergency plan for these transmission upgrades across the region is set to cost $800 million and will not be completed until 2028.
PJM has requested that Brandon Shores remain in operation through 2028 under a Reliability Must-Run (RMR) Agreement until transmission upgrades are completed. Eco-groups have suggested the use of a battery replacement in order to meet the 2025 deadline; however, PJM responded on May 3 with a letter that clearly states the battery option is not realistic.
A plan submitted by Talen Energy to keep Brandon Shores open would unfairly burden customers of BGE and other state utilities. The Office of People’s Counsel, which represents utility customers, said in a federal filing last week that Talen Energy’s proposed cost recovery plan would amount to about $215 million per year.
About three-quarters of that would fall to BGE customers, who make up the greatest share of consumers served. The payment arrangement could add an estimated $5 a month, above already approved rate increases, to BGE customers’ bills for as long as it takes the regional electric grid operator PJM to build new transmission lines.
The People’s Counsel argues that Talen Energy’s proposal would lead to unjust and unreasonable rates.
Coal and natural gas have been the major fuel sources used to generate electricity since 1961. Maryland’s 100% green energy agenda is leading to the eventual abolition of the coal and natural gas industries.
We believe that the best way to support a sustainable energy grid in Maryland is to put Maryland’s energy needs first by expanding and diversifying our own energy plants, not shutting them down.
The views expressed in this column reflect the opinions and research of the authors and not necessarily those of The Avenue’s editorial staff.
”Now You Know” is a weekly column written by state delegates Ryan Nawrocki and Kathy Szeliga.
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