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Virginia Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Virginia — updated daily.
Virginia · Construction & power moves · 40
full tracker →Land, power, and interconnection moves across Virginia — each traced to primary filings.
Top JUST IN — Virginia
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PJM and FERC focus on large-load reliability challenges (n/a)
Source: PJM Inside Lines · Oct 22, 2026PJM and FERC used the annual Reliability Technical Conference to flag reliability and integration risks from accelerating data-center load growth. PJM said mounting supply concerns from large-load customers are colliding with slower development of new generation and transmission, and it is developing new voltage and frequency ride-through requirements after “about 3,900 MW of large loads unexpectedly and inadvertently transferred to backup generation” during routine transmission events. PJM also said its reliability framework should require continuously updated technical information from large-load operators and ensure interconnection and energization decisions reflect the time needed to develop sufficient generation and transmission.
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PJM proposes reliability standards for large-load ride-through (no docket)
Source: PJM Inside Lines · Sep 10, 2026PJM Inside Lines reports that PJM has proposed new interconnection reliability requirements for large loads, including data centers and crypto-mining facilities, to require facilities to stay connected during grid disturbances and “riding through” voltage and frequency excursions. The article says the proposal responds to a June 18 FERC order and that “PJM plans to file proposed solutions to FERC in November.”
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PJM, Dominion Review Large Load Transfer Event
Source: PJM Inside Lines · Aug 11, 2026PJM Inside Lines reports that PJM is reviewing changes to interconnection reliability requirements for Large Loads after a July 22 event in Virginia in which “nearly 4,000 MW of data center load trip offline unexpectedly.” The article also says FERC ordered NERC to create enforceable Reliability Standards for computational loads and that the first phase of new enforcement provisions is due Dec. 31, 2026.
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
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Opening Statement of Commissioner Christie to House Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security
Source: FERCFERC Commissioner Christie warned that U.S. grid reliability faces “potentially catastrophic consequences” as “unprecedented forecasts for demand increases” from “data centers, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)” collide with fast-retiring dispatchable generation and policy pressure. In PJM, he said, “PJM faces unprecedented load growth due to the proliferation of data centers,” while also noting that EPA power-plant rules could “forcibly” accelerate coal retirements and make new gas generation “extremely difficult, if not virtually impossible” to build. Christie also said the PJM interconnection queue “largely consists of intermittent generation, primarily wind and solar,” and that legal challenges are delaying needed natural-gas pipeline infrastructure.
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Recent Virginia data center news
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Data Centers Can Have Both: Reliability and Sustainability Are Not Tradeoffs
Southwire contributor Jack Graves argues that data center owners should design power infrastructure to improve both reliability and sustainability from the outset.
- The article says design-stage electrical decisions can support both higher uptime and lower environmental impact, including use of high-temperature, low-sag conductors, properly specified MV/HV systems, and recycled copper.
- It also highlights early coordination among owners, utilities, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers, noting that MV cable lead times can exceed 50 weeks and that EPDs and Scope 3 reporting are increasingly part of procurement requirements.
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As the U.S. and China Form AI Blocs, Countries Are Increasingly Torn Between Them
Associated Press article analyzes how countries are navigating between U.S.-led and China-led AI blocs rather than announcing a new policy itself.
- Kazakhstan is highlighted as a rare country trying to bridge both sides: AI minister Zhaslan Madiyev visited Washington in June and then Shanghai three weeks later; Kazakhstan became a founding member of China’s World AI Cooperation Organization while also joining the U.S. group focused on strengthening AI supply chains.
- The article cites concrete investment figures and examples, including an earlier 2026 Kazakh investment deal worth up to $10 billion with Nvidia for a “data center valley,” and says Chinese foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan reached $2.8 billion in 2025; it also notes China has offered grants and loans for AI-related projects in 77 low- and middle-income countries.
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Loudoun’s Proposed Data Center Standards Cater to the Industry at Residents’ Expense
The Piedmont Environmental Council is urging Loudoun County residents to submit comments on draft data center standards by Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.
- The county’s draft standards would govern data center expansion and related onsite power plants, generators, noise, setbacks, water use, and decommissioning; PEC says the draft lacks low-frequency noise rules, stronger setbacks, and limits on fossil fuel-based onsite power.
- The article says Loudoun County held two open houses in the last week of September on proposed Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance changes, with a public hearing in early 2027 after staff incorporates Board input; it also cites the Vantage VA2 data center in Sterling as an example of natural gas turbine use.
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Troutman Pepper Locke’s Allie Apple and Virginia Stitzer Winners of 2026 Connect CRE Women in Real Estate Awards
Troutman Pepper Locke announced that partners Allie Apple and Virginia Stitzer were selected by Connect CRE as recipients of the 2026 Women in Real Estate Awards.
- Apple, a member of the firm’s Construction Practice Group, works on construction, design, engineering, and supplier contracts and has recently advised a leading global technology company on multibillion-dollar AI data center construction contracts.
- Stitzer leads the firm’s Multifamily Housing Finance Practice Group; the article says the group handles over 3,000 transactions annually and closed more than $90 billion in loan value in 2025, including a $325 million Virginia multifamily financing and a half-billion-dollar student housing portfolio financing.
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Building Community Connections in Orangeburg, One Conversation at a Time
DataBank is describing its community outreach around its Orangeburg-area data center, including festival participation and support for Pearl River Little League. This appears to be a company blog-style community relations post rather than a first-time infrastructure announcement.
- DataBank says employees from its nearby LGA3 data center joined Pearl River Day, staffing a booth to meet residents, answer questions, and distribute materials about data centers.
- The company says it invested nearly $20,000 in dugout sheds and field lighting for Pearl River Little League, and provides about $5,000 annually for sponsorship and student-athlete scholarships; it also mentions the “DataBank Dinger” home-run fundraiser tied to scholarships.
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Episode for October 23, 2026
The Allegheny Front’s October 23, 2026 episode summarizes multiple Pennsylvania energy, industrial, and data center developments rather than making a single original announcement.
- The episode says Pennsylvania officials are studying nearly two dozen retired power plants across the state to see whether they can be reactivated as electricity demand grows, and notes the EPA head plans to loosen methane leak rules for oil and gas wells.
- It also reports that Archbald Borough denied zoning for a hyperscale data center with 14 buildings and 588 diesel backup generators, while U.S. Steel is seeking an air permit for a new hot strip mill at its Edgar Thomson Plant near Pittsburgh.
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Archbald unanimously denies zoning for hyperscale data center campus in borough
Archbald Borough Council has unanimously denied Cornell Realty Management’s zoning request for the proposed Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus in Archbald, Pennsylvania.
- The proposal covered a 14-building campus on 578 acres and had advanced through nine hearings from January to September; the company said it met the ordinance standards and asked for approval.
- Opponents argued the project was flawed and cited concerns over backup generators, air quality, traffic, noise, and potential health impacts; council declined comment because of potential pending litigation and attendees said they expect an appeal.
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Can data center developers turn public skepticism into trust?
This article is a commentary-style roundup referencing a Fortune report about how data center developers can address community skepticism and build trust.
- The piece highlights public opposition to data centers over water use, electricity demand, backup generators, and local impacts, citing rejected projects in Arizona, Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina.
- It quotes Adhum Carter Wolde-Lule of Prism Power Group, who says developers should disclose water use in electricity generation, explain cooling methods, set limits on backup generation, and provide realistic grid-connection plans; it also cites Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory data that U.S. data centers used 17 billion gallons of water for cooling in 2023, with consumption potentially doubling or quadrupling by 2028.
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Virginia Democratic Senator Proposes Statewide 3-Year Data Center Moratorium
Virginia Sen. Russet Perry has proposed legislation imposing a three-year statewide moratorium on new data center approvals.
- Main action: Perry, a Democrat from Loudoun, introduced legislation to halt new data center approvals statewide for three years.
- Context: The article frames the move as part of an ongoing debate about the industry’s rapid growth, energy demands, and community impact; it is a news report referencing the proposal, not the text of the legislation itself.
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Take Action: Southwest Mountains Transmission Line
PEC has issued a call for public comments and testimony on Dominion Energy’s proposed Charlottesville-Gordonsville transmission line expansion, which it says is linked to data center load growth.
- The State Corporation Commission will review Case No. PUR-2026-00050 and hold a public hearing in Richmond on Dec. 2, 2026; local witness hearings are set for Oct. 22, 2026 in Charlottesville and a telephonic hearing on Nov. 10, 2026.
- The project would rebuild 16 miles of a 230 kV line from Gordonsville to Charlottesville, replacing a single circuit with two 230 kV circuits and taller steel towers; PEC says the line is driven by 26 data center requests and could affect historic, scenic, and natural resources.