Dominion Power Lines and Diversity; no, not that diversity, power source diversity.
Dominion Power installed an underwater 230 kilovolt line from the Yorktown power station to a substation in Hayes. The stated purpose of the line was to back up an existing line to Gloucester County from Middlesex County and not to supply power to the Peninsula. Why Dominion invested $60+million in a line to a power station they were going to close is another question.
With the closing of the Yorktown plant, all power to the Peninsula comes across the James River on aerial towers in 2 locations: James River Bridge and Wilcox’s Landing. Dominion Power now proposes a third aerial crossing. Seems if Langley and Fort Eustis and the shipyard were critical national defense considerations, thought would be given to an alternate means of delivering power that was not so open, accessible and susceptible to mischief.
Think of it another way: If you have a data center with critical business information on line, you’re likely going to protect yourself with a battery backup. If your information is really critical you will probably have a standby generator in addition to a battery backup. You surely wouldn’t install another Dominion Power utility line. That would not eliminate single points of failure.
Rich Locke
Williamsburg
