Virginia court blocks massive Prince William Digital Gateway data center

The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled against the Prince William Digital Gateway, siding with citizen-backed lawsuits and blocking the proposed data center campus.

• Key action: The court ruling halts a proposed 2,000+ acre project planned for 37 data centers and 14 substations, preventing further approvals or build-out tied to the Digital Gateway proposal. The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) provided direct testimony to Prince William County and filed an amicus brief in the case to highlight environmental, historic and public-notification concerns.
• Background & details: PEC cited risks including a potential 3+ GW demand signal, Dominion Energy’s attempt in late 2025 to advance two substations for the site during the pending review, alleged failure to properly notify the public, and impacts on Manassas National Battlefield Park, Conway Robinson State Forest, water quality, and historic/cultural resources. The article reports that the infrastructure footprint for the project’s energy needs was described as 100X greater than the data centers’ footprint alone.