Appalachian Power plans upgrades to serve Google data centers in Botetourt

Appalachian Power is planning significant electric grid upgrades to support a new Google data center project in Botetourt County, Virginia, and will host an open house on June 3 at Read Mountain Middle School in Cloverdale to provide information. The utility's Daleville Area Transmission Improvements Project includes rebuilding or upgrading 17 miles of 138-kilovolt transmission line, constructing a new tenth of a mile of line, modernizing four existing substations, and building a new substation.

Google, identified by Appalachian Power spokesperson George Porter, is the new customer driving these upgrades. The tech giant purchased 312 acres for $14 million in the Botetourt Center at Greenfield business park in June, with plans for three 300,000-square-foot data center buildings, associated substations, and an office building. Google intends to invest at least $3 billion, creating at least 150 full-time jobs, and has a performance agreement with Botetourt County.

The project has generated public questions regarding costs, tax revenue allocation, and environmental concerns, particularly Google's potential use of millions of gallons of water daily from the Carvins Cove reservoir. Google spokesperson Leslie Schuman stated the company is committed to covering 100% of the power and new infrastructure costs directly driven by its growth, aligning with the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge.

Appalachian Power will file its transmission upgrade application with Virginia’s State Corporation Commission in fall 2027, with construction slated for completion in late 2029. While Google will procure power from the 79-megawatt Rocky Forge wind farm in Botetourt County, it has acknowledged this will not fully meet the data center complex's needs. Virginia's rapid data center growth is a significant factor in the commonwealth's projected tripling of power usage by 2040.