Loudoun’s Infrastructure Work Group Touted as Possible Model for Region
Loudoun County has established an energy infrastructure workgroup to address conflicts between rapid data center growth and community concerns over related infrastructure like transmission lines and substations. Comprising county officials, utilities, data centers, and residents, the group aims to collaboratively find solutions for grid planning and substation design. This initiative follows intense community opposition and Board of Supervisors' frustration with past utility applications.
Loudoun County, a global data center hub, is grappling with community opposition to the industry's expanding infrastructure. In response, local leaders have established an energy infrastructure workgroup to foster collaboration between the county, utility companies, data center operators, and residents. The initiative seeks to ensure reliable power for data centers while mitigating impacts on local communities.
The county's data center boom, which began in the late 1990s, has led to significant demand for new power infrastructure, with PJM Interconnection projecting a substantial increase in peak energy demand by 2036. This growth has fueled fierce community opposition to transmission lines and substations throughout Loudoun, prompting frustrations from the Board of Supervisors regarding project design and location. Supervisors have advocated for burying power lines to lessen visual and environmental impacts.
Tensions escalated during a May meeting when the Board narrowly approved a substation application, only for Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) to reverse his vote, calling for a "stand." This led Turner to propose the workgroup, aiming to break "silos" between stakeholders. While Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) raised concerns about the group's private meetings, participants, including Equinix State and Local External Affairs Director Rey Cheatam Banks, NOVEC, Dominion Energy's Greg Mathe, and community representatives, have lauded its productivity and collaborative spirit in diving deep into grid planning and design issues.
Initially focused on two specific Dominion substations (Aspen and Golden), the workgroup's discussions have broadened to holistic energy infrastructure planning for the entire region, with the model potentially being adopted by other jurisdictions. The group, while not a decision-making body, aims to standardize processes and share ideas. The immediate impact will be seen next week as Dominion Energy is scheduled to present updated applications for the Aspen and Barrister substations to the Board of Supervisors and an updated Golden substation application to the Planning Commission.