Why are the Ballston and Clarendon substations seemingly in the wrong spots?

Eagle-eyed Arlingtonians might have noticed the Dominion Energy substation in Ballston is called, strangely enough, the Clarendon substation.

A substation is a part of an electrical grid that enables electricity to be transmitted at different voltages. Dominion Energy’s Ballston substation at 3241 Wilson Blvd is solidly in the heart of Clarendon, just west of Northside Social.

Further examination reveals that the Clarendon substation, meanwhile, is located in Ballston at 1033 N. Nelson Street across from Quincy Park.

Aisha Khan, media/community relations manager for Dominion Energy, said a dive into records at the Library of Congress revealed that the Ballston substation was built in the early 20th century when its location and coverage area might have been more heavily associated with Ballston than Clarendon.

“According to Library of Congress records, the Ballston Substation has existed since at least 1936, while the Clarendon Substation was built later, in the 1980s,” Khan said. “Significant changes have occurred in the area since World War II, including shifts in place names, boundary adjustments, and jurisdictional changes.”

Khan said a Substation Naming Committee was formed approximately ten years ago to assign names to new substations and prevent duplication, but added the current substation names are too deeply ingrained into both Dominion systems and communication with first responders to change:

These names are well established in our system, and first responders rely on them to identify circuits originating from Ballston and Clarendon, regardless of jurisdiction.

Renaming the substations is not feasible, as their names are integrated into multiple systems of record, including SAP and other databases. Additionally, each substation has over a hundred associated drawings and numerous data communication points within our operating system. The name signage on the fence is just one small part of a much larger infrastructure.

And so, for the foreseeable future, this quirk of local infrastructure persists.