Two High-Voltage Lines Are Installed by Pepco
Alexandria Seeks Reduction in Use Of Mirant Plant

By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 15, 2007; LZ06

Pepco has completed construction of two high-voltage transmission lines, an addition that officials in Alexandria hope will result in reduced use of the coal-fired Mirant power plant on the Potomac River.

The city has long sought to shut down the power plant, which many residents say is a health concern and an eyesore. But federal officials have said the plant, which supplies power to Pepco customers in Maryland and the District -- including dozens of federal agencies -- is vital to the region's power grid and to national security.

Vice Mayor Redella S. "Del" Pepper (D) said the new Pepco transmission lines, which create greater reliability in providing service to downtown Washington, decreases the need for production at the Mirant plant. She said local officials will push for operations to be cut back at the plant.

"This makes it unnecessary for Mirant to continue operating at the capacity they are operating at," Pepper said. "We expect them to operate at lower levels than they have been in the past, and they will be cleaner."

Debra Bolton, an assistant general counsel and vice president of Mirant, said the new power lines do not diminish the need for the plant. "Demand is just going up as more people move to the region," Bolton said. "If we are in environmental compliance, which we are, we should be able to run to our full capacity. We offer our energy onto a grid, and it is taken because there is demand."

The Mirant plant, which sits just north of the Old Town area and next to the popular Mount Vernon jogging and biking trail, has sparked concerns over pollution in recent years. It is one of five coal-fired power plants that contribute to poor regional air quality, environmental experts say.

In 2005, the plant was shuttered for environmental violations and reopened with stricter environmental controls.

During the 2005 shutdown, Pepco decided to accelerate plans to build the 230,000-volt transmission lines to ensure it could provide reliable service to the District, said company spokesman Robert Dobkin. Before the lines were built, Dobkin said, Pepco relied on two power lines that draw from the regional grid, as well as power lines that run directly from Mirant's Potomac River plant to an electric switchyard, to serve its District customers.

The new lines provide backup, allowing electricity to flow if there is a problem with any of the old lines. "We're not adding power," Dobkin said. "But we have the extra capacity to bring more power in from the grid."

The lines, which run 5.6 miles underground and snake under the Capital Beltway and the Potomac River, connect a high-voltage substation in Prince George's County with a substation near the District.

Dobkin said the lines were put into service last month. He said construction was completed in 18 months, compared with the five years that is typical for such a project.

Dobkin said that the lines provide "greater reliability" but that Pepco doesn't consider them a replacement for the Mirant plant.

"The plant is still part of the reliability," Dobkin said.

"The regional power grid still needs Mirant, but if the plant is down for any reason, we have the redundancy to serve our customers."

Mirant and city officials have been involved in a series of disputes over the plant.

Two court cases involving the city ended in May with rulings in favor of the power plant. In one case, the Virginia Supreme Court found that the city improperly used its zoning power in an effort to regulate the plant.

In a separate case, a federal district court in Alexandria supported a consent decree that had been negotiated by Mirant, Maryland, Virginia and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.