The Prince William County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday deferred action on a special use permit for the proposed Vint Hill Switching Station, in response to resident concerns and requests for more information about the technology and broader infrastructure impacts.
The project involves replacing an existing switching station (online since 2018) on an approximately 23-acre A-1-zoned site within a 1960s-era transmission corridor. The new gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) facility would be co-located with a NOVEC substation and a Reed Energy battery storage facility. It aims to meet North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards projected as early as 2027 due to substantial load growth, largely from data centers and other developments in the Gainesville and Manassas areas.