New substation planned to power Quantum Frederick
Oct. 7—Potomac Edison plans to power the first phase of Quantum Loophole's Frederick campus with a new high-voltage substation.
Texas-based Quantum Loophole bought more than 2,000 acres near Adamstown in 2021 to develop a data center campus at the former aluminum smelting plant Alcoa Eastalco Works, the News-Post has reported.
Quantum Loophole broke ground on critical infrastructure in June, a news release from Potomac Edison said.
Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has started planning a 230-kilovolt substation that is expected to support the 240 megawatts of power anticipated for the first phase of the campus, the release said. The substation will be near the campus center and will be designed to accommodate up to 1,000 megawatts.
The campus will connect to the Ashburn, Virginia, data center community via QLoop, a 40-mile hyperscale fiber ring.
To support the Frederick campus, Potomac Edison plans to "reenergize an existing 230-kilovolt transmission line that previously served the property," the release said, and "install two transformers to convert the high-voltage power from the substation to a lower voltage that can be distributed to Quantum Frederick buildings."
The substation will be subject to review by regional transmission organization PJM and its stakeholders, the release said. Various components of the plan are also subject to review and approval by Frederick County and the Maryland Public Service Commission.
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