When Campbell County supervisors voted against the Valley Link transmission line on October 6, 2026, what did they actually stop?
As a matter of law, they stopped nothing. In Virginia, the State Corporation Commission approves and sites large transmission lines. County boards don't. Concord is still where the county's real decision sits, though. That decision is about where Appalachian Power puts the substation the line would start from, and it hasn't reached the county yet.
If you own land around Concord or you're looking at acreage out that way, that's the item to put on your calendar. Here's why.
The vote was a message to Richmond
The county's own agenda called the item "VALLEY LINK PROJECT ROUTE OPPOSITION." The resolution text urges Valley Link and the SCC to drop the Joshua Falls–Yeat project, reject the proposed route, and look at alternatives. It passed 4-3.
Cardinal News reported that the meeting agenda itself described the resolution as a largely symbolic "expression of concern." County Administrator Frank Rogers told the board: "I want to be sure that the board understands that this isn't anything more than a communication of your preferences to the State Corporation Commission as they consider possible routes."
The line also barely touches the county. In the same Cardinal News story, Appalachian Power external affairs manager Rob Mann told supervisors the roughly 115-mile line would begin in a corner of Campbell County, with only two-tenths of a mile inside the county. From there it runs through Appomattox, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Goochland, Louisa and Orange counties to Culpeper.
So the line itself is a short stretch in Campbell, and the county gets no say on its route. The substation is a different story.
Where the county does get a vote
The Joshua Falls substation sits on a ridge above the James River, a few miles outside Lynchburg near the Appomattox County line. According to Cardinal News, Mann told the board it's "just not feasible" to build Valley Link's endpoint there because the site doesn't have room for the transformers and other equipment. WSET reported that the company also pointed to engineering, environmental and permitting limits, and sees a move south as more cost-effective.
Appalachian Power's answer is to retire the existing station and build a new, upgraded one nearby. Speaking to WDBJ, Concord District Supervisor Matt Cline described that site as being in "the Stage Road area," at a place he called Joshua Creek. He added that the lines crossing Route 460 near the current station would be redirected toward the new one. "And that's where the biggest rub is with residents in Campbell County," he said.
The property picked for the new substation is zoned agricultural. Cline told Cardinal News that means it would need a special-use permit or a rezoning, and the board of supervisors can approve or deny either one. "That's where the teeth would come in," he said.
As of Cardinal News's October 8 report, Appalachian Power had not submitted its relocation plan to the county. Mann told the board, "We will be coming before the board to speak about the station for approval for that in the future."
Side by side, the two decisions look like this as of early October 2026:
| The Valley Link line | The substation relocation | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | Virginia State Corporation Commission | SCC for the utility plan, and Campbell County supervisors for the special-use permit or rezoning |
| Footprint in Campbell | About 0.2 mile of line | New station near Stage Road, about 1.5 miles of new 765-kV line, 2.7 miles of new 138-kV line, about 3 miles of existing 765-kV line removed |
| Where it stands | SCC filing expected later this fall | Not yet submitted to the county |
| Local leverage | A non-binding resolution | A land-use vote |
Culpeper County, the line's other endpoint, is in a similar spot with the proposed Yeat substation. Cardinal News reported that when Culpeper supervisors asked what would happen if the SCC approved the line but the county refused the substation, Valley Link representative Lane Carr said the company would probably look into whether the SCC, not the county, could have authority over it. Nobody has settled how much power a county's zoning vote holds against a state-approved line. That question could come to Concord too.
The substation question may outlast Valley Link
Mann also told Campbell supervisors, as Cardinal News reported, that even if Valley Link isn't approved, Appalachian Power still might consider moving the substation, because the company is exploring a small modular nuclear reactor at Joshua Falls.
The company's messaging has shifted on this. When it announced its July open house, Appalachian Power said the substation relocation was separate from the reactor work, according to Cardinal News's July coverage. By October, the company's representative was describing the reactor as a possible reason to move the substation either way.
The reactor is on its own, longer timeline. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's page lists Appalachian Power in pre-application activity for Joshua Falls, with an early site permit application planned for April 2027. Separately, WDBJ reported in July that supervisors agreed to hire experts before deciding on a proposed industrial-intensive zoning approach that could allow small reactors by right.
So for anyone deciding about property near Stage Road or the Route 460 corridor east of Lynchburg, an SCC denial of Valley Link wouldn't necessarily end the conversation. The future of the Joshua Falls site runs through several county land-use decisions, and some of them don't depend on Valley Link at all.
What comes next, in order
Dates have already slipped once, so treat these as targets, not commitments.
- Valley Link files with the SCC. The project page at vltransmission.com still shows a Q3 2026 filing. The Piedmont Environmental Council reported on October 12 that the filing has moved from September to November or December. The application will include several routes and a preferred one, and the SCC can approve any of them or combine pieces of several, according to WDBJ.
- The SCC issues a procedural order. That order sets deadlines for public comments and testimony and schedules hearings, which can include local public hearings as well as an evidentiary hearing in Richmond. There's no case number or hearing date yet.
- Appalachian Power brings the substation to Campbell County. It will need a special-use permit or rezoning for the agricultural site. The company also told Cardinal News in July that it expected to file the relocation plan with the SCC this year.
- The SCC rules. Valley Link told WDBJ the decision could take up to a year.
- Construction, if approved. Appalachian Power's forecast for the substation work runs from spring 2028 to fall 2030. For the line, WDBJ reported completion around 2030, while Cardinal News reported Valley Link aiming for 2029.
Keeping track from Concord
For the line, Valley Link's Joshua Falls to Yeat page has a route viewer showing Routes 1, 2 and 3, route variations and the study area, plus a Campbell/Appomattox map book. Valley Link's own spokesperson has said no final route has been selected, so those maps show options under study, not a final decision. On structure height, the company's FAQ says typical structures average 150 to 175 feet and that the structure type hasn't been chosen. Cardinal News described towers up to 160 feet with cleared rights-of-way 200 feet wide.
Once the application is filed, the case will show up in the SCC's DocketSearch. The SCC's guide to participating in cases explains the difference between a respondent, who takes part formally through testimony and pleadings, and a public witness, who testifies under oath at a public hearing. Its public comment page explains that written comments go through an online form, need the case number, and must arrive by the deadline in the procedural order. I'm sharing this as general information, not legal advice. If a route or the substation site could affect property you own or are buying, an attorney is the right person to walk through your options.
For the substation, the place to watch is the Campbell County Board of Supervisors agenda. That's where a special-use permit or rezoning request for the Stage Road site would show up.
Quick answers
Did Campbell County's resolution stop Valley Link? No. The SCC decides on the line. The county's resolution put its opposition on record.
Is the route final? No. Valley Link will submit several routes, and the SCC can approve one or combine parts of several.
When does the county get a real vote? When Appalachian Power applies for a special-use permit or rezoning for the agricultural site near Stage Road. That application hadn't been submitted as of early October 2026.
If you're weighing a property near Stage Road or the Route 460 corridor and want help figuring out which of these decisions could touch it, Jordan Smith is glad to go through the maps and county agendas with you. Let's Connect.
