Data Center Divide: Virginia communities grapple with costs of data center development
Virginia’s data center boom is driving major investments but also concerns about electricity costs, environmental impacts, water use, transparency and land loss. The article examines projects and proposals across several counties, including STACK Infrastructure’s Berry Hill development in Danville-Pittsylvania County, Google projects in Botetourt and Roanoke counties, and Project Hercules in Appomattox County.
Virginia communities are weighing the economic benefits of rapid data center development against concerns about power demand, environmental impacts, water availability, transparency and neighborhood impacts. STACK Infrastructure’s planned Berry Hill campus in the Danville-Pittsylvania area could include 21 buildings and require as much as 3,000 megawatts of electricity, while protesters have raised concerns about costs and environmental effects.
The report also covers a Mesh Capital project in Campbell County that was initially rejected by county supervisors before a revised plan was approved, as well as Project Hercules in Appomattox County, a seven-data-center complex expected to represent $8 billion to $10 billion in investment. Residents have criticized the approval process and raised concerns about water levels. Google is moving forward with a three-building project in Botetourt County and has proposed another in Roanoke County, where residents have questioned their ability to participate in the decisions.
Elsewhere, Halifax County is developing data center regulations, Amherst County has required special-use permits for future projects, and Franklin County residents are seeking safeguards after the Project Flash proposal failed. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has proposed expanding Virginia’s power supply and backed measures requiring data centers to contribute more to transmission costs, along with a broader Data Center Accountability Framework.