Virginia's data-center moratorium is a PEC ask; the live actions are Dominion, SCC, PJM, DEQ, and county dockets

On September 10, 2026, the Piedmont Environmental Council called on Virginia’s state leaders to declare a moratorium on connecting data centers to the grid, approving new transmission lines, permitting backup generation, and allowing new water withdrawals. That request frames a set of demands around six issues. The concrete government and utility actions on large-load data centers sit in separate proceedings across Dominion, the SCC, PJM, DEQ, and county planning offices. The most moratorium-like measures on the record are local zoning rewrites in Loudoun and Prince William, not a statewide pause.

• PEC calls for a statewide data-center moratorium – The Piedmont Environmental Council asked Virginia leaders on September 10, 2026 to pause grid connections, transmission approvals, backup-generation permits, and water withdrawals.
• Dominion assigns dates to 25 GW, holds 45 GW without connection dates – Dominion Energy’s May 2026 GS-5 report set energization dates for 25 GW of new data centers through 2031 and had not yet offered connection dates for another 45 GW.
• SCC approves GS-5 rate class effective Jan. 1, 2027 – The Virginia SCC created a new rate class for customers demanding 25 MW or more, with a 14-year contract term and higher minimum demand charges.
• Karnataka wind output falls more than 2,000 MW in an intra-day swing – A September 9, 2026 stress event pressured the state grid from roughly 6:30am to 4pm, met by higher central-station drawal, thermal ramping, and exchange purchases.
• India pegs data-center power demand at 13.56 GW by 2031-32 – A Ministry of Power release says AI-enabled data centers help push electricity demand up over 30% by 2030, with demand already factored into government planning.
• Submer and Madhya Pradesh signed an MoU for up to 1 GW of AI-ready data centers – The July 2025 agreement covers liquid-cooling design standards, local supply chains, and workforce development in the state.