Improving Right Of Way Processes

This will be a discussion on the best real estate focused practices that support a successful project lifecycle (including sales or project financing).  It will touch upon common real estate deliverables and pitfalls in project development, construction, and operation along with strategies for addressing issues.

As we in the industry know, data centers are not our domain, yet we must field questions about them when sharing information about the infrastructure improvements required to power them. This interactive presentation will discuss messaging that has been working for a utility that has been dealing with highest amount of data centers in the country.

KY Condemnation Changes
Kentucky has passed a new law that strengthens safeguards for property owners, especially those whose land falls within agricultural districts or is protected by conservation easements.

The court has the authority to dismiss the condemnation action altogether if the utility cannot meet certain new requirements. This presentation will discuss how this new law is creating challenges and some solutions for projects moving forward and give attendees from other states a glimpse of similar changes that may affect them. 

Virginia Condemnation Changes
In Virgina, like other states, changes to laws are protecting landowners. These newer amendments broadened the legal requirements for condemners. One change is that utilities are now required to provide a 60-year title report and copies of recorded instruments for any permanent interests acquired giving property owners a more transparent look at the land's title history. This presentation will review how Dominion Energy is adapting their approach to meet these changes.

Dominion Energy is experiencing some of the fastest load growth in the nation, driven by Northern Virginia’s rapid expansion as a global innovation and technology hub. Yet the counties with the greatest energy demand are also among the region’s most densely developed, leaving limited space for new transmission infrastructure. Drawing on recent project case studies, this presentation highlights the challenges Dominion faces when siting transmission lines in these constrained environments and demonstrates how a suite of best practices—including proactive stakeholder outreach and engagement strategies—is helping to deliver projects that are more responsive to community concerns and better aligned with local priorities.

This presentation will review the process and work being accomplished by a team from three different utilities working together to develop this overall 756kV transmission line to improve grid stability in the PJM Interconnection. Processes and lessons learned so far for this complex project will be reviewed.