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Virginia Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Virginia — updated daily.
Recent Virginia data center news
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No one wanted to redevelop this polluted property. Then came AI.
Viridian Partners has proposed to buy Janesville’s 250-acre former GM site, remediate contamination, and build an $8 billion, 11-building, 800 MW data center campus.
- Main announcement:Viridian Partners offers to purchase a 250-acre parcel owned by the city of Janesville, remediate soil contaminated with hydrocarbons, heavy metals and PFAS at an estimated $30 million cleanup cost, and construct an 11-building, 800 MW data center campus with development partner Abbleby Strategy Group; the proposal estimates ~600 permanent jobs and ~13,000 construction jobs, and includes working with Alliant Energy and American Transmission Company to build a new electrical substation.
- Background and other details: The EPA released guidance (Jan 2026) identifying 335 brownfields potentially suitable for data centers; the article references other large projects such as the $15 billion Stargate data center (OpenAI & Oracle), notes a canceled $20 million EPA community change grant and an ineligible $773 million environmental trust, and documents local energy, emissions, public-health, and political concerns including proposed new natural gas peaking plants, a citizen ballot initiative, and legislative proposals to expand developer access to brownfields funding.
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It’s Time to End Data Centers’ Massive Tax Break
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is urging Virginia legislators and Governor Spanberger to eliminate or phase out the $1.9 billion annual sales tax exemption for data center equipment and is mobilizing constituents to contact their representatives before the legislature reconvenes.
- Main announcement/action: PEC asks Virginians to urge the General Assembly and Governor Spanberger to end or phase out the $1.9 billion annual sales tax break for data centers; the Senate’s budget would phase out the exemption while the House keeps it. Key dates and actions: reconvene April 23 (legislature), advocacy kick-off Zoom call March 30 at 6:30 p.m. (register link provided), and a “Send Your Email” action page to contact delegates, senators and the governor today.
- Background and details: PEC cites Dominion Energy’s 70 GWs of load requests and ongoing monthly >1 GW requests, estimates of over $100 billion in new generation/transmission/substation infrastructure (including $30 billion for transmission and a 114-mile, 765 kilovolt proposed line), and an independent PEC analysis estimating $53–$99 million/year in health damages from on-site fossil generation at a Loudoun County facility. Also summarizes bill statuses (HB153/SB94; SB553/HB496; HB507; SB619/HB155; SB339/HB658).
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Episode for March 27, 2026
PennFuture has called for a moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania until stricter laws can be passed.
- PennFuture moratorium call: PennFuture has requested a statewide moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania citing concerns about water use, electricity prices, and increased pollution; the call seeks a pause until stricter laws can be passed.
- Related, verifiable developments: The central Pennsylvania electric utility settlement would shield average residential customers from data center-related rate increases and requires data centers to pay $11 million for low-income rate relief; the Pennsylvania DEP is considering a proposed Shell ethane cracker permit with higher emission limits; Governor Josh Shapiro is among plaintiffs suing to block the EPA repeal of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding; a Lackawanna County commissioner has proposed an air quality ordinance to address data center emissions and diesel backup generators.
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Form Energy signs 12GWh agreement to supply multi-day iron-air batteries to new US AI data centres
Form Energy has signed a 12GWh supply agreement with Crusoe for iron-air batteries, announced at CERAWeek 2026.
- Main announcement: The agreement secures 12GWh of iron-air battery capacity for Crusoe with secured volumes, pricing and delivery terms beginning in 2027; Form Energy said the batteries will be manufactured at its Form 1 factory in West Virginia.
- Background and details: The article references Form Energy’s other 2026 commitments including a 30GWh element in the Google–Xcel Energy multi-technology supply deal (enabling 100-hour dispatch of 300MW) and a planned 10MW / 1,000MWh project with FuturEnergy Ireland expected online in 2029; the Crusoe agreement is significant but prospective until first projects are underway, and questions remain about round-trip efficiency (RTE) of iron-air technology.
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Trump Admin’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge: What It Means for Hyperscalers
Seven major operators—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI—signed the White House-brokered Ratepayer Protection Pledge on March 4, committing to build, procure, or directly fund new electricity generation capacity and to cover transmission and interconnection upgrade costs rather than passing them on to residential or commercial ratepayers.
- Main announcement: The seven named hyperscalers signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge (White House-brokered, March 4) to fund new generation and pay for transmission/interconnection upgrades tied to their U.S. data center demand; the pledge explicitly shifts upgrade costs away from residential/commercial ratepayers and toward data center builders.
- Context and implementation details: States and regional operators are already acting (e.g., Texas Senate Bill 6, PJM process updates) to assign large-load cost responsibility; companies are negotiating tailored agreements (upfront funding, cost-sharing, long-term commitments), examples include Microsoft’s Community-First framework and Microsoft’s involvement in restarting a Three Mile Island unit, while EPRI projects accelerated electricity demand growth through 2030.
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Aligned Data Centers Closes on $2.58 Credit Facility
Aligned Data Centers has announced a $2.58 billion revolving credit facility to finance US data center expansion.
- Main announcement: Aligned secured a $2.58 billion revolving credit facility backed by six later-stage data centers (locations include Dallas, Phoenix, Northern Virginia). The facility matures in three years with the option for two one-year extensions and will be used to finish constructing the sites and finance future development projects; lenders include insurance companies, pension funds and other institutions, with PGIM confirmed as an anchor lender.
- Background and other details: Aligned already maintains a credit facility with banks and intends to increase the new facility’s borrowing capacity as it adds data centers. The financing comes ahead of a previously agreed $40 billion acquisition of Aligned by a group led by BlackRock Inc.’s Global Infrastructure Partners from Macquarie Asset Management, which is expected to close later this year.
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Why a Pa. environmental group wants to press pause on data center development
PennFuture has called for a statewide moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania until lawmakers adopt stricter policies and statutory requirements.
Main action & details: PennFuture is urging a pause on data-center approvals pending enactment of stronger state law; the group references pending bills including HB2246 (developer reports on expected water use) and HB2151 (model local ordinances). An amended House Bill 1834 (amended March 23) is noted as including renewable energy requirements and restrictions on backup generators. Senators Katie Muth and Rosemary Brown have proposed a three-year moratorium on hyperscale data center development. The article cites an example project that could use 20 million gallons of water a year. Full audio of the interview will be available March 27.
Background & context: This content is an interview/transcript with Patrick McDonnell (PennFuture CEO) and reporter Kara Holsopple (The Allegheny Front). PennFuture cites concerns about water withdrawals, electricity prices, and pollution, notes regulators such as the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and stresses the need for state-level requirements and updated municipal ordinances rather than voluntary commitments. The piece is a public advocacy/interview (not an enacted policy announcement).
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Data Centers Under Fire: Industry Faces Systemic Security Risks
Data Center Knowledge reports that AWS-linked facilities in the Middle East were targeted by drone strikes, prompting industry warnings about data centers as critical national infrastructure.
- Main announcement/action:AWS-linked facilities in the Middle East (notably in the UAE) were targeted by drone strikes earlier this month, producing cross-availability-zone disruption and drawing attention from market intelligence firm DC Byte, researcher NCC Group, and industry analysts including Ron Westfall (HyperFrame Research) and Kristina Lesnjak (DC Byte).
- Background & details:Hyperscale AI campuses (Microsoft, Google, Amazon) operate at hundreds of megawatts to multiple gigawatts; reports warn that attacks often target dependencies (power, fiber, substations) rather than facility perimeters, highlight threats including AI-driven intrusions, cyber-physical vulnerabilities, and a concentrated supply chain for transformers and semiconductors; industry security models remain largely facility-focused while oversight is fragmented across operators, utilities, and regulators.
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Path cleared for massive data center in Frederick State environmental officials have cleared another hurdle for a new data center campus in Frederick, Maryland.
The Maryland Department of the Environment issued a final determination approving an air quality permit for Amazon Data Services, Inc., allowing installation of emergency backup generators at 3250 Digital Drive in Frederick, MD.
- Permit approval & limits: MDE approved installation of 99 diesel-fired emergency generators at the Frederick data center but prohibits use as a primary power source, prohibits selling power back to the grid, and limits generator operation to periodic testing only to ensure they function during outages.
- Oversight & compliance requirements: MDE will perform unannounced inspections, review the facility’s operational logs, and Amazon must submit annual emissions reports; before storing diesel on-site Amazon must obtain a separate oil permit and provide a rigorous spill prevention plan.
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Climate Change Solutions - March 24, 2026
EESI published its “Climate Change Solutions” newsletter summarizing recent analysis, events, and legislative activity related to energy grid upgrades, data center impacts, and climate information integrity.
- Main announcement: EESI highlights solutions including reconductoring to expand U.S. grid capacity, coverage of data center noise and water use issues, and a podcast on climate data integrity; the newsletter also notes EESI hosted a Rapid Readout on the repeal of the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding (readout available via EESI).
- Additional details and timeline: Congressional actions noted include passage/introduction of bills: H.R.2709 (Save Our Sequoias Act) passed House, H.R.528 (Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025) passed House, reintroduction of S.4096 / H.R.7921 (Rural Decentralized Water Systems Reauthorization Act), and introduction of H.R.7977 (Energy Bills Relief Act). Upcoming EESI events: Tracking Down Data on April 23, Water Infrastructure briefing on May 7, and EXPO 2026 on June 24.