Data Centers
- After eastern groundwater report detailed aquifer concerns, Virginia lawmakers consider policy shifts
After the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality released a 117-page report indicating that available groundwater east of Interstate-95 is “declining (in) availability in the near future,” the agency pitched recommendations on how to tackle the issue to lawmakers Thursday in Richmond.
- Residents in Franklin, Roanoke counties use FOIA requests to uncover data center plans
Residents in Franklin and Roanoke counties used public records requests to uncover details about proposed data centers as scrutiny of the projects grows, WVTF reported.
- Loudoun County Reviews Zoning Updates for Data Center Noise Management
Loudoun County officials are advancing a Phase 2 Amendment Framework that targets noise issues associated with data centers.
- Loudoun Supervisor Details Substation Zoning Process and State Authority Limits
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors members include Chair Phyllis Randall, Vice Chair Michael Turner, and Supervisors Juli Briskman, Tony Buffington, Koran Saines, Caleb Kershner, Matthew Letourneau, Kristen Umstattd, Laura TeKrony, and Brenda Sheridan.
- Louise Lucas slams data centers for paying construction workers too much
Virginia state senator Louise Lucas is a leading Democratic leader in Virginia.
- Loudoun Supervisor Kristen Umstattd Discusses Noise Concerns Over Data Centers
Loudoun County Supervisor Kristen Umstattd spoke during a board meeting about concerns raised by residents regarding potential noise from future data centers and substations.
- Loudoun Supervisor Discusses Data Center Substation Configurations
Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman presented details on the power infrastructure supporting data centers during a recent meeting.
- Loudoun Supervisor Briskman Raises Concerns Over County Resource Use
Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman spoke during a board meeting about alleged misuse of county resources in connection with a recent unauthorized town hall.
- Loudoun Supervisor Mike Turner Advocates Updated Data Center Regulations
Loudoun County Supervisor Mike Turner spoke at a board meeting about data center regulations.
- Public hearings for the NextEra-Dominion merger have begun. Here’s what you need to know.
Dominion Energy offices in Richmond, Va. (Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce for the Virginia Mercury) Public hearings in the case to decide the fate of the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy begin this week at the State Corporation Commission.
- Data Center Growth Raises Noise and Air Quality Concerns Near Loudoun Schools and Homes
Loudoun County has experienced significant data center development in recent years that has brought both economic benefits and challenges for nearby residents.
- Warner wins fourth term , Luria ousts Kiggans in VA-02 as 2 U.S. House races remain undecided
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner speaks to Virginians at his re-election celebration in Alexandria on Nov. 3, 2026.
- Dominion Energy Makes $1.94 Million in Political Contributions Over 20 Days
Dominion Energy recorded $135,000 in political donations on October 29.
- Spanberger’s energy plan dazzles – and disappoints
Gov. Abigail Spanberger unveils her administration's energy plan on Oct. 1, 2026 in Richmond.
- Governor Spanberger Calls for Six-Year Freeze to Electricity Rates, Tripling Customer Bill Credits in NextEra-Dominion Filing
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today — in expert testimony filed with the State Corporation Commission (SCC) on behalf of the
- Data center backlash set to sway midterm elections
An aerial view shows a data center situated near single-family homes in Northern Virginia.
- General Assembly calls off Oct. 26 special session to elect judges
The Virginia Capitol on March 9, 2026.
- Spanberger’s EO 22 Rewrites Virginia’s Data-Center Rules Without Declaring a Moratorium
The order bans new state NDAs, curbs VEDP help for big new loads, pushes noise and water reviews, and tees up 2027 legislation—while leaving local zoning fights intact.
- Virginia Governor Proposes Large-Scale Solar Development to Address Energy Needs
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger released details of a state energy plan that recommends the addition of solar panels covering 277,000 acres.
- Virginia Governor Proposes Large-Scale Solar Expansion on Agricultural and Forest Lands
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has advanced a proposal calling for the development of 277,000 acres dedicated to solar panel installations throughout the state.
- After statewide tour, Virginia Lt. Gov. Hashmi officially opposes Dominion-NextEra merger
Lt. Gov. Hashmi is joined by two lawmakers in Richmond, VA on Oct. 6 2026 for a press conference announcing she is opposing the merger of Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy.
- Vindman faces crowded field and economic pressures in Virginia’s 7th District Congressional race
Pictured from left are candidates for the seventh congressional district race in Virginia: U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Woodbridge, Republican Douglas Ollivant and Libertarian Taner Lopez.
- Luria and Kiggans rematch in Va.’s 2nd Congressional District among most-watched races in nation
From left to right: U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, Democrat Elaine Luria, and independents Bishop Staten and Matt Baker.
- Burial Is Proven Elsewhere as Virginia Debates Dominion’s Line
RICHMOND — Dominion’s underground HVDC pitch into Northern Virginia did not invent the technology.
- Cumberland county residents split on proposed gas plant, slated to be second largest in the nation
Cumberland County residents meet Aug. 31, 2026 to discuss the proposed Dominion Cumberland Energy Center.
- Virginia Students Highlight Environmental Risks from Data Center Power Lines
Students and local leaders discuss habitat loss and school proximity issues tied to high-voltage lines serving Northern Virginia data centers.
- Data Centers Present Trade-Offs Between Utility Costs and Economic Benefits
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam has addressed the data center dilemma in Virginia focusing on the tension between rising utility bills and potential economic growth.
- Amazon changes course on water use for King George data center campus
The Robert O. Norris Bridge is located over the Rappahannock River.
- David Reid Responds to Phyllis Randall on Data Center Responsibilities
Virginia Delegate David Reid has published an op-ed that addresses statements made by Loudoun County Chair Phyllis Randall concerning data center development.
- Prince William Supervisors Vote Unanimously to End By-Right Data Center Development
An 8-0 board vote advances Tom Gordy’s 90-day grace framework, shrinks the 2016 overlay, and leaves residential and school setbacks for later Planning Commission action.
- Dominion unveils route changes for Valley Link Transmission line
The proposed Valley Link Transmission Line's Route 2 option with variations, which Dominion Energy has shared with nine Virginia counties that the line could cross, if approved.
- Dominion Seeks SCC Blessing for Valley Link Affiliates as FERC Weighs 11.4% ROE Incentives
RICHMOND — Dominion Energy is asking Virginia regulators to bless affiliate contracts that would let shell companies carry a
- Judge Upholds Caroline County's Eminent Domain for Rappahannock Water Project
A Caroline Circuit Court judge ruled that the county properly exercised eminent domain to acquire 11 acres from farmer Cory Garrett for a Rappahannock River water intake facility.
- Prince William Votes 8-0 to End By-Right Data Center Development Countywide
Future projects will need special-use permits after supervisors settle on a 90-day grace period and leave residential setbacks for later hearings.
- Virginia Data Centers Point Past 60 GW as Bills, Water, and Diesel Costs Mount
Statewide impact study cites ~1,300 possible facilities, Dominion bill path toward $315, Loudoun’s billion-plus gallons, 8,910 generators, and PJM transmission skewed to data-center load under Democrat-era growth policy.
- Loudoun Democrats Re-Approve Aspen Substation — Sell It as Oxygen-Machine Reliability After Data-Center Boom
After briefly rescinding approval, the Democrat-majority board restores Aspen amid talk of 95 existing or proposed substations; Umstattd and Randall frame wires as life-safety while critics say homes had power before 200 data centers.
- Average Residential Bills Toward $315 by 2039 as Data-Center Load Dominates
Unconstrained Demand cites Dominion figures taking typical residential bills from about $142.77 now to $315.25 by 2039 — primarily on data-center sector energy needs — while JLARC separately pegs $14–$37 monthly generation and transmission cost pressure by 2040.
- From Marye’s Transmission Study to the 2013 Amendment — Utilities Still Take Land for Data Center Load
RICHMOND — Virginia’s modern property-rights constitution did not begin with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo decision.
- UCS: Data-Center Grid Hookups Put $4.3B on PJM Customers in 2024 — Virginia Alone Near $2B
Union of Concerned Scientists brief says transmission-level campus taps are socialized through FERC and state rates; Virginia’s 60 tracked projects total about $1.988 billion under the rules Democrat-era load growth exploited.
- Loudoun’s Turning Point: First 5–4 Data-Center Denial in 2024, Scaled 6–3 Pass, Then March 18 End of Open By-Right
Turner’s timeline traces Democrat-board politics from the first major denial of a 2.9M sq ft project, to a 1.3M by-right comeback, to the 7–2 March 18, 2025 vote ending open by-right — with grandfathering still attached.
- Loudoun: 55% of Cited Data Centers Sit Within 200 Feet of Homes
Unconstrained Demand’s Fairfax proximity stats — 55% within 200 feet, 70% within 500 feet — show how Democrat land-use permissions put industrial campuses into residential buffers statewide.
- Central Virginia Lined Up for 290+ Data Centers — Spreading Loudoun’s Fight Down the I-95 Corridor
Unconstrained Demand says Central Virginia expects 290-plus campuses that would rival Northern Virginia’s hubs, with statewide tallies near 1,300 facilities and 390 million square feet as Democrat recruitment goes statewide.
- Virginia’s Data-Center Boom Runs on Water and Diesel: Loudoun’s Billion Gallons and 8,910 Generators
Unconstrained Demand tallies Loudoun data centers above 1 billion gallons of water in 2023, statewide use above 2.1 billion, and 8,910 mostly Tier 2 diesel generators permitted for up to 500 hours a year.
- Abigail Spanberger Signs Executive Order 22 on Data Center Accountability and AI Task Force
Governor Abigail Spanberger’s Executive Order 22 and 2027 legislative slate target NDAs, local approval for large loads, noise and backup power, and an AI task force—without a statewide moratorium.
- Virginia Warned in 1999 That Power-Line Easements Leave Landowners Paying for Residue Damage
RICHMOND — Long before Data Center Alley turned Northern Virginia into a magnet for 500 kV and 765 kV corridors, the General Assembly already knew what transmission easements do to private land.
- Meeting Unconstrained Virginia Data-Center Power Demand Will Be “Very Difficult” — Households Face Rising System Costs
December 2024 JLARC Report 598 finds unconstrained demand could double Virginia power need in a decade, new build rates look unachievable, and Dominion residential customers could see $14–$37 more per month in generation and transmission costs by 2040.
- Loudoun’s Substation Swarm: 95 Existing or Proposed, 30–40 More Coming — Every Data-Center Vote Becomes a Wires Vote
County presentations tied to Aspen put Loudoun near a hundred substations with dozens more planned; Democrat supervisors admit approving a campus means approving the substation and line that follow.
- Loudoun Votes: Democrat Board Ends Open By-Right Data Centers — After 9–0 Use Expansion and 5–4 Grandfathering
Ghiorzi hearing notes and Granicus timestamps show a 7–2 main motion, a failed 5–4 attempt to kill administrative grandfathering, a 9–0 add-data-center use on 1972–1993 lots, and Briskman’s 41M / 61M sq ft warning.
- Spanberger’s energy plan keys in on clean energy to meet growing demand and VCEA goals
Gov. Abigail Spanberger unveils energy plan that models how the state can meet energy demands while meeting clean energy goals.
- Spanberger presents slate of data center regulation proposals, puts first directives in motion
Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22 on Friday, Sept. 18 to kick off her data center regulation package.
