Loudoun families caught in fight over 185-foot-high power lines for data centers
Families in Loudoun County, Virginia, are caught in a dispute over Dominion Energy's plan to build 185-foot power lines to support data center growth. The power lines, deemed necessary for the strained grid, are proposed to run through residential areas and near schools, prompting the School Board to block the initial path. The Board of Supervisors is now urging reconsideration, with a decision due by July 20th.
Residents in Sterling and Ashburn, Loudoun County, Virginia, are embroiled in a conflict over Dominion Energy's proposal to construct 185-foot transmission towers through their neighborhoods. These new power lines are deemed essential to support the rapid growth of data centers in Loudoun County, which accounts for nearly half of all data center permits in Virginia, pushing the power grid to its limits.
State regulators initially identified "Route 4" in Sterling as the preferred, least impactful path for the power lines. However, this route runs adjacent to two Loudoun County schools, Rock Ridge High School and Rosalie Carter Elementary. Consequently, the Loudoun County School Board blocked this proposed path.
In response, regulators rerouted the lines through a different neighborhood in Ashburn, impacting even more homes. Now, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is urging the School Board to reconsider its original decision, leaving families in both Sterling and Ashburn caught in the middle of the dispute. The School Board faces a critical deadline of July 20th to make a final decision.