The City of Manassas is unique: it runs its own power system. That keeps bills lower.

The City of Manassas, Virginia, uniquely operates its own electric utility, allowing it to manage power costs and benefit from the surge in data center development. While data centers contribute to rising electricity demand in the Mid-Atlantic, Manassas has structured agreements with Dominion Energy for transmission and supply, which takes the load off the city's system.

Manassas currently has one operational data center, owned by Digital Realty, and four more under development by companies including Amazon Web Services and Black Chamber Group. The city bills these data centers for power, generating significant revenue for its utility fund and taxing their real estate and equipment, which bolsters the general fund. Councilman Tom Osina notes these revenues are crucial for funding city infrastructure projects like a wastewater plant expansion, a parking garage, and a new fire station.

However, residents are expressing growing opposition to data centers, citing concerns about visual impact, noise, water usage, and the strain on the regional power grid. Mayoral candidate Dianne Lane and former councilwoman Lynn Forkell Greene advocate for a more transparent approval process, specifically calling for data centers to require special-use permits rather than being approved "by right." They believe the city is becoming too reliant on data center revenue and needs to diversify its economic growth.