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Power Lines Through Ashburn and Brambleton: Every Proposed Project, the Risks and What Homeowners Can Do

Quick Summary

  • Golden to Mars gets the headlines, but it is one of at least nine transmission projects Loudoun County tracks, and three of them are linked in a single loop through Ashburn.
  • The State Corporation Commission approved Golden to Mars Route 3A on June 29, 2026. Dominion’s figures put 182 homes within 500 feet of it, and the school board’s appeal is pending.
  • Brambleton has its own lines to watch: one under construction and one still being decided, with comments open until October 30.
  • Property value research points to a modest average hit with big lot-to-lot differences. The health evidence is limited.

In this post

  1. Every project at a glance, with maps
  2. Who is affected
  3. The Golden to Mars fight
  4. Property values
  5. Is it safe? Other risks
  6. What homeowners can do
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Sources and reporting limits

Every project at a glance, with maps

If you thought there were two big lines, you were probably thinking of Aspen to Golden and Golden to Mars. Add Mars to Wishing Star and you have the three-piece loop Dominion is building to bring bulk power into Data Center Alley. Loudoun County’s transmission lines page lists nine projects in total. Here is where each stood in the sources I could review.

Project Voltage Where Status
Aspen to Golden 500/230 kV Leesburg area into Ashburn Approved Feb. 2025. Upheld by the Supreme Court of Virginia Feb. 19, 2026
Mars to Wishing Star 500/230 kV Brambleton and Dulles area Approved April 2023. Under construction
Golden to Mars 500/230 kV Route 28 to near Dulles Airport Route 3A approved June 29, 2026. Appeal pending
Morrisville to Wishing Star 500 kV 4.8 miles in Loudoun, ending near Arcola Pending. Comments through Oct. 30. Hearing Nov. 16 to 24
Evergreen Mills 230 kV East of Arcola Boulevard Approved Oct. 2025
BECO to Firehouse 230 kV About 1 mile in Sterling Pending. Comments due Oct. 9
Transmission Line 514 500/230 kV About 3.5 miles east of Leesburg Pending. Filed May 21, 2026
Gore-Doubs-Goose Creek 138/500 kV About 10.5 miles, northern Loudoun Pending. Not yet filed
Valley North 765 kV Northwestern Loudoun Not yet filed. Supervisors opposed it Sept. 15, 2026

Dominion’s project page also lists two approved 230 kV lines, Twin Creeks to Apollo and Aviator to Takeoff. Details come from Loudoun County and Dominion, and the dates move, so check the case dockets.

For maps, start with Dominion’s Golden to Mars routes map (PDF). It is dated May 13, 2025, before the final decision, so find Route 3A on it. Dominion’s Northern Virginia projects page links the other filings, and interactive route maps are posted at northernvaprojects.com, as the Piedmont Environmental Council has noted.

Who is affected

The people with the most at stake on Golden to Mars live in Loudoun Valley Estates in Ashburn. Dominion’s figures show 182 homes within 500 feet of Route 3A, including one within 100 feet, compared with 69 for Route 4, according to WUSA9. The route also runs behind Rock Ridge High School and Rosa Lee Carter Elementary and follows the Broad Run stream valley.

Brambleton is next door, and its residents were putting up “No to Power Lines” signs in 2025, according to Fox 5. The Mars to Wishing Star line is in the Brambleton and Dulles area. Morrisville to Wishing Star would replace existing lattice towers with monopoles to carry an added 500 kV circuit, and Loudoun County says southern communities around Brambleton are among those affected.

Everyone pays in some way. The Piedmont Environmental Council argues all ratepayers will help cover lines built for data centers, and Dominion has proposed a 14 percent residential rate increase for 2026, per Broadband Breakfast. On July 31, 2026, the SCC ordered Dominion to assign some transmission costs directly to the data centers that require them, Utility Dive reported.

The Golden to Mars fight

On April 9, 2026, the SCC approved the project and named Route 4 the least impactful option. Route 4 needs an easement from the Loudoun County School Board, and the board had refused. The backup was Route 3A, which cuts through the neighborhood.

Then the neighbors got creative. Around June 23, the homeowners association gave the school board land that Route 3A crosses. On June 29, the SCC approved 3A anyway, despite calling it clearly inferior to Route 4. On July 20 it refused a pause that Dominion itself supported.

The school board filed its notice of appeal on July 17. According to the Blue Ridge Leader, Dominion opposed an emergency stay on July 31 and asked for a $50 million bond if one were granted. The board then narrowed its ask to keeping Dominion off its own parcel. The newest reporting I found is from early August, so check the court docket. Dominion’s target for energizing the line is June 2028.

By the numbers: 182 homes within 500 feet of Route 3A versus 69 for Route 4 (Dominion figures, via WUSA9).

Property values

I found no sale-price data for these corridors, so here is the broader research. A Headwaters Economics review of published studies found effects mostly between 2 and 9 percent. One Montana study of a 500 kV line found an average 15 percent discount on lots within 1,000 feet in one subdivision.

Small residential lots feel it more than farmland, and the effect usually fades past about 500 feet. It also tends to be biggest while a line is proposed and built, then softens. The same review says only an appraisal can tell you what one property is worth. If you are weighing Ashburn and Brambleton against Reston or other spots along the Dulles corridor, check exactly where a home sits relative to each line.

Suburban street in Ashburn, Virginia near the proposed power line corridor

Is it safe? Other risks

The National Cancer Institute says no consistent evidence links non-ionizing fields like those from power lines to cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies extremely low frequency fields as possibly carcinogenic, based on limited evidence about childhood leukemia. Pooled studies saw a modest increase in risk only at fairly high exposure, and fewer than 1 percent of children studied were in that range. I am not a health professional, so talk to your doctor if you are worried.

Other risks are practical: construction clearing and access roads, and student safety concerns near the schools, per Loudoun Now. Dominion has also told regulators that without the loop it could face equipment damage, an energy gap for data centers and possible violations from grid operator PJM, according to the Virginia Mercury.

What homeowners can do

Here is the honest picture. On Golden to Mars, the SCC’s order stands and the formal appeal belongs to the parties: Loudoun County, the school board and the HOAs. The Piedmont Environmental Council describes individual residents as public witnesses. Still, you have options.

  • Comment on open cases. BECO to Firehouse comments are due October 9, and Morrisville to Wishing Star comments run through October 30. Comment online at scc.virginia.gov or mail the Clerk, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, VA 23218. The SCC helpline is 804-371-9141, per Loudoun County.
  • Work through your HOA. The Loudoun Valley Estates HOA and the Northern Virginia HOA Roundtable are participants in the Golden to Mars case, and they run nopowerlines.org.
  • Push undergrounding. A new state law allows four underground 500 kV pilot projects, and residents argue Golden to Mars could qualify.
  • Contact officials. That means the school board, county supervisors and your state legislators. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam has questioned whether Dominion explored an alternate route, and Dominion denies it, per WUSA9.
  • Protect yourself. Find your property’s exact distance from each line, ask a licensed appraiser what it means for your home, and talk to a real estate attorney about easements and your rights. I am not a lawyer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many power line projects are planned around Ashburn and Brambleton?

Loudoun County tracks nine transmission projects, and Dominion lists more across Northern Virginia. Aspen to Golden, Golden to Mars and Mars to Wishing Star form a three-piece loop through Ashburn.

Has the Golden to Mars line been approved?

Yes. The SCC approved Route 3A on June 29, 2026. The Loudoun County School Board has appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, so it is not fully settled.

Are power lines safe to live near?

The National Cancer Institute says no consistent evidence links power line magnetic fields to cancer, though some studies show a small risk at high exposure. Evidence is limited, so ask your doctor if you have concerns.

Will a power line lower my home value?

Research on other lines mostly finds a modest effect of roughly 2 to 9 percent, with larger drops on some small residential lots. A licensed appraiser can tell you what it means for your address.

Thinking about buying or selling near these corridors in Ashburn, Brambleton or elsewhere in Northern Virginia? Reach out to Nikki for a straight read on a specific street, or start with her guide to selling your house faster in Northern Virginia.

Sources and Reporting Limits

Figures and events are as reported through early August 2026, and project statuses come from Loudoun County and Dominion pages reviewed in early October 2026. I could not confirm whether Mars to Wishing Star has been energized. Property value and health findings come from general research and are not specific to these projects. This post is not legal, medical or appraisal advice.

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