Dominion transmission line delay stalls Eli Lilly’s Goochland campus
Dominion’s 6.5-mile West Creek line still needs SCC approval before Eli Lilly’s $5 billion Goochland campus can get power.
Dominion Energy Virginia’s plan to power Eli Lilly’s Goochland campus is still waiting on Virginia State Corporation Commission approval for a new 6.5-mile transmission line. The utility has filed for a new 230-kV double-circuit overhead route and substation at West Creek, and the project cannot move forward until regulators decide on the line, right-of-way and substation plan.
The case is docketed as PUR-2026-00009, titled 230 kV West Creek Loop and Substation. Dominion filed the application on January 28, 2026, and the commission issued an order for notice and hearing on February 24, 2026. Dominion’s proposed Route 3 would run about 6.5 miles, beginning near Interstate 64, following the east side of Route 288 and ending near the Lilly site in West Creek. The filing also asks to voluntarily acquire an additional 60 feet of right-of-way for the route.
The power demand behind the case is substantial. Dominion says the line and new West Creek substation, to be built on land provided by Eli Lilly, are needed to serve about 37 megawatts of projected load for a new manufacturing facility and new warehouses in Goochland County. The utility also says the project is meant to support future growth in the broader Goochland Load Area. The line is designed with a summer transfer capability of 1,573 MVA and would be built primarily with weathering-steel monopoles.
The utility’s route filing puts Route 3 forward as the proposed alignment, with Routes 2 and 5 as alternatives. That route choice is now the key issue for nearby property owners, because the SCC review covers not just whether power is needed, but where the line should go and how much land it will take. For residents and businesses near West Creek Parkway, Route 288 and the Interstate 64 corridor, the next milestones are the SCC docket, any hearing activity and the final order that will determine whether Dominion can start acquiring easements and moving toward construction.
The stakes reach beyond the transmission corridor. Eli Lilly announced on September 16, 2025, that it planned to build a $5 billion manufacturing facility on a 227-acre parcel at 12575 West Creek Parkway. Lilly and state officials said the project would create 650 permanent jobs and 1,800 construction jobs. Virginia officials also said the Goochland plant would be Lilly’s first dedicated, fully integrated active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug product facility for its bioconjugate and monoclonal antibody portfolio. If the SCC process slows the line, it slows the timeline for those jobs, for supplier spending around West Creek, and for county planning tied to roads, utilities and public services.
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