Data Centers

Virginia

Prince William Supervisor Boddye Seeks Authority to Pause High-Demand Projects as Spotsylvania Urges Statewide Moratorium

By Uriah Kiser
Village Place Technology Park in Gainesville, approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2022

“Prince William County Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye on Friday called on state leaders to grant local governments explicit authority to defer decisions on high-resource-demand industrial projects such as data centers while officials study water, power and air-quality impacts,” according to a press release from the Occoquan District.

Boddye’s request, which he said he will seek to add to the county’s legislative agenda, comes after Spotsylvania County supervisors voted 4-2 to urge Gov. Abigail Spanberger to enact a statewide data center moratorium so the Commonwealth can study the industry’s future, Fredericksburg Free Press reported.

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Virginia

Virginia Commission Orders Dominion to Develop Data Center Cost Plan

By Uriah Kiser
Village Place Technology Park in Gainesville, approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2022

Virginia’s State Corporation Commission has directed Dominion Energy to return this fall with proposed changes that could shift more transmission infrastructure costs to data centers and other large electricity users, The Center Square reported. The July 31 final order gives the company 90 days to file amendments to its line-extension policy and 120 days to update regulators on a broader approach for assigning those costs when large-load customers drive the need for new grid infrastructure.

The directives were issued as part of Dominion’s annual Rider T1 transmission cost recovery case, with approved rates set to take effect Sept. 1. First-year Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger called the decision a victory for ratepayers, saying it ensures data centers pay the full cost of the transmission infrastructure their developments require—an issue of particular local importance given Northern Virginia’s dense concentration of data centers and the potential impact on residential electric bills.

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Virginia

Senators Urge Special Session After Groundwater Report

By Uriah Kiser
Village Place Technology Park in Gainesville, approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2022

Two state senators are asking Gov. Abigail Spanberger to call a special session of the General Assembly after a newly released state report found groundwater supplies in eastern Virginia may not support major new withdrawals under current regulations, The Center Square reported. Sens. Richard Stuart, R-King George, and Russet Perry, D-Loudoun, said the Department of Environmental Quality study shows “virtually no capacity” in the Coastal Plain aquifer for large new uses such as data centers and was released only after the 2026 session had adjourned.

The bipartisan letter notes ongoing strain already appearing in western Loudoun and northern Fauquier counties and urges lawmakers to act on the report’s recommendations for stronger permitting rules, improved monitoring, and tying local development more closely to groundwater availability rather than waiting until the 2027 session.

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Fredericksburg

Community Forum Recap: Residents Raise Taxes, Water, Transparency Concerns Over Data Centers

By Uriah Kiser
The Central Rappahannock Regional Library Fredericksburg Branch at 1201 Caroline Street.

– Info from Sue Nelson Sargeant

Residents, activists, and local officials gathered Tuesday, July 21, for Community Forum #1 on data centers in the Fredericksburg area. The event, titled “Are We the New DATA CENTER Alley?”, featured a video screening, discussion, and Q&A.

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Stafford

Unmarked Graves?: County Calls Specialist’s Absence from Data Center Hearing ‘Standard Practice’

By Uriah Kiser
Stafford County Administrator Bill Ashton presents the proposed FY2027 budget to the Stafford County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 17, 2026, at the Government Center.

Stafford County officials today described the absence of the county’s Cultural Resource Specialist from a July 7 Board of Supervisors hearing on the Potomac Creek Campus data center applications as consistent with standard practice.

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Prince William

Residents Rally Against Planned 6.5-Mile Transmission Line

By Uriah Kiser
A speaker addresses a large crowd of demonstrators holding signs reading “Bury the Lines” and “Save Our Rural Land” during a protest against Dominion Energy’s proposed 6.5-mile transmission line project. [Photo: Coalition to Protect Prince William County]

Prince William County residents protested Thursday against Dominion Energy’s proposed 6.5-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line connecting the Nokesville Substation to a planned Bristow Switching Station, WTOP reported. Demonstrators gathered outside an open house at Patriot High School in Nokesville, holding signs calling to “Bury the Lines” and “Save Our Rural Land,” while local officials and state senators voiced opposition to the project’s impact on private property and rural character.

The Coalition to Protect Prince William County organized the event amid growing concerns that data centers and development are driving the need for new infrastructure; Dominion said the line is required for reliable service as the Innovation Park area expands, but noted burying the line is not feasible due to bedrock and existing utilities.

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Prince William

Land Swap Proposed for Data Centers Near Prince William Forest Park

By Uriah Kiser

Federal officials are considering a land swap that would allow a developer to build at least four data centers next to Prince William Forest Park in close proximity to Quantico Creek, Prince William Times reported. The proposal would exchange 73 acres of wetlands owned by Highland Digital for 36 acres of federally owned parkland along the park’s western border.

Conservation groups warn the project could harm water quality in one of Northern Virginia’s most pristine streams, while local leaders including Board Chair Deshundra Jefferson have expressed skepticism about any data center construction inside park boundaries.

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Virginia

Future Regional Power Supply Down, but Not Out

By Uriah Kiser
[Photo: American Public Power Association/Unsplash]

The shortfall and continued supply-demand imbalance carry particular weight for Northern Virginia, where data center expansion is a primary driver of rising load across the 13-state PJM region that includes the commonwealth. PJM is advancing measures to clear its interconnection queue, accelerate high-priority generation, and develop flexible connection frameworks for large users in an effort to restore balance and limit cost pressure on everyday customers.

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Prince William

Prince William County Mulls Ending By-Right Data Center Development – A Move That Could Save Jiffy Lube Live

By Uriah Kiser

“The Prince William County Planning Commission voted earlier this week to recommend that the county stop allowing data centers to build ‘by right,’ or without county approval – a move that could keep Jiffy Lube Live and other key areas from being swallowed up by computer server farms,” Prince William Times reported. The commission voted 5-2 to recommend shrinking the data center opportunity zone overlay district from about 9,700 acres to 3,500 acres, requiring special use permits for new projects and removing sites like Jiffy Lube Live and planned school land from by-right development.

This proposal, advanced by local leaders including Board Chair Deshundra Jefferson and Supervisor Tom Gordy, addresses long-standing concerns over skyrocketing land values and data center proliferation in Northern Virginia, with 148 facilities already built, under construction, or planned in the county. Supervisors are expected to consider the zoning text amendment in September.

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Prince William

Prince William Supervisors Shoot Down Two Proposed Lines for Nokesville to Bristow Transmission Project

By Uriah Kiser
Gordy

InsideNova reported that the Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution eliminating the “blue” and “light blue” routes for Dominion Energy’s Nokesville to Bristow 230 kilovolt transmission line project across county property. The board stated it does not support granting Dominion access to county easements for Routes 5 and 12.

The decision, praised by Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy, protects areas like Broad Run Linear Park’s tree preserve and reflects strong community advocacy from neighborhoods including Braemar and Victory Lakes. Dominion Energy confirmed the blue route’s elimination, with the State Corporation Commission set to make the final call and a community meeting scheduled for July 23 at Patriot High School.

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