Developer pitches data center to skeptical crowd
Providence Digital Capital proposed a 96-megawatt data center near Strasburg, Virginia, which plans to generate its own power and use a closed-loop cooling system. The project faces significant opposition from local residents due to environmental concerns and distrust in the developer, as well as skepticism from Shenandoah County officials over an unfinished data center ordinance and communication issues. The developer has not yet applied for the required special use permit.
Alax von Hell, managing member and main engineer at Providence Digital Capital, presented plans for a 96-megawatt data center campus on 103 acres at 1095 Oranda Road near Strasburg, Virginia. The proposed facility, which von Hell described as the third of its kind globally, is designed to generate its own electricity from natural gas engines and utilize a closed-loop cooling system, making it independent of the electric grid and consuming significantly less water than traditional data centers. It is intended to serve federal agencies, including the Department of Defense.
The proposal was met with strong opposition and skepticism from over 100 residents at a community meeting near the site. Concerns were raised about noise, environmental impact, and the trustworthiness of the developer's claims, especially after residents learned of a past project in Middletown, Virginia, also designed for natural gas generation but now connected to the electric grid. Many residents vocalized their outright rejection of the project, stating they did not want a data center in their community.
Shenandoah County officials, including Supervisor Kyle Gutshall, expressed reservations, noting that the county's data center ordinance, adopted on June 23 and still under revision, is not yet ready for such a project. Gutshall also criticized Providence Digital Capital for not directly informing the Board of Supervisors about the project before a newspaper notice for the community meeting was published. Providence has not yet applied for the special use permit required under the new county ordinance.
Further compounding distrust, it was revealed that Foundation Data Centers had filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against von Hell in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2025. This legal action, combined with the apparent inconsistencies regarding the Middletown project, led residents to doubt the developer's assurances about the Oranda facility's operation and environmental impact.