Southeast transmission debate centers on data centers

Troutman Pepper Locke attorneys Josh Combs and Andy Flavin discussed transmission investment, affordability, and accountability in the Southeast, with a focus on Virginia’s data center corridor and local responses to data center growth.

• The speakers described how utilities and regulators can require community engagement, local investment, and other tangible benefits from large customers while balancing customer bills, affordability, and economic development.
• They said Virginia had not enacted a severe state-level moratorium or repeal of data center incentives in the 2026 General Assembly session, but Loudoun County was discussing a possible local moratorium on data center permitting; they also noted Virginia localities generally retain siting authority over substations but not transmission lines.