New details emerge about Botetourt grid upgrades for Google data center
New details have emerged about Appalachian Power's $264 million electric grid upgrades in Botetourt County, Virginia, to serve Google's data centers. While the upgrades are costly, Appalachian Power asserts that existing customers will not bear the expense due to Google's Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The project has also spurred community concerns regarding water usage, prompting Google to implement air-cooling technology for its first data center building.
Appalachian Power has filed documents with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) detailing an estimated $264 million in electric grid upgrades to support Google's planned data centers in Botetourt County. These upgrades, part of the Daleville Area Transmission Improvements Project, include transforming nearly 20 miles of transmission line and building or modifying multiple substations, with an in-service target date of November 15, 2029.
Despite the substantial cost, Appalachian Power, a subsidiary of American Electric Power, has assured customers that they will not incur the expenses. The company cited the White House's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, under which Google and other tech companies voluntarily agree to fund new power delivery infrastructure required for their data centers. Google, which purchased 312 acres in the Botetourt Center at Greenfield for $14 million and plans to invest at least $3 billion, declined to comment directly, referring inquiries to Appalachian Power's SCC application.
The project's peak power demand is a newly disclosed 300 megawatts, which could power approximately 216,000 average homes. This figure represents about 4% of Appalachian Power's entire tri-state service area's peak load. Community opposition, spearheaded by the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance, has voiced concerns over the data center's potential use of millions of gallons of water daily from the Carvins Cove reservoir.
In response to these concerns, Google and Botetourt County recently announced that the first of Google's three data center buildings will utilize air-cooling technology to reduce water consumption. The opposition group, however, characterized this as a response to public pressure, noting that air cooling typically demands significantly more energy.