More than 70 new data centers are under development in Virginia, which is already the world’s leading hub for the massive, high-tech facilities. But given the rapid pace of the buildout and the challenges that come with it, it’s probably no surprise that not everyone in the Old Dominion State is as enthusiastic about data centers as they once were. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at some of the biggest data centers in the works and discuss their path forward.
This is our latest piece in a series discussing how some of the most popular states for data centers are faring. As we mentioned in God Blessed Texas, the Lone Star State, with more than 350 data centers, is one of the nation’s leaders, with only Virginia edging it out in both the number of facilities and associated power demand. Texas’s neighbor to the east, Louisiana, was initially slow in attracting developers but now has two hyperscale projects being built, including a $10 billion site being constructed by Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) that is expected to eventually consume as much power as the entire city of San Diego and cover 2,250 acres, about one-seventh the size of Manhattan. As we noted in Louisiana Saturday Night, state lawmakers changed laws to establish incentives for data centers and also used federal grant money to ramp up its fiber-optic network.
That brings us to Virginia, which is at the opposite end of the extreme from Louisiana. The state was the pioneer for data centers and has been home to them since the 1990s — long before most people even knew what a data center was. As we discussed in Part 1, Virginia has more than 550 data centers, with some estimates at well over 600. But how many of these new data center proposals will see the light of day? That’s difficult to say, as many local communities have tightened the rules and regulations around data centers and, in some cases, rejected proposals in recent months.
Today’s blog will focus on a select group of data centers that will need at least 300 megawatts (MW) of power and have taken concrete steps forward, such as acquiring land and seeking permits. While many other projects are being debated, the list below totals about 3.4 GW of potential power demand and highlights projects with some approvals and progress, although most still face some hurdles, especially in communities concerned about electricity prices, environmental issues (including the heavy water use by data centers for cooling) and overall community impact.
Figure 1. Major Data Centers Under Development in Virginia. Source: RBN
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