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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 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.”
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
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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.
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
Recent Virginia data center news
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Supply challenges boost value of existing data centers, enterprise deployments: JLL, Morningstar
JLL and Morningstar have released commentary and a midyear report saying North American data center capacity remains extremely constrained, with tenants leasing small fragmented blocks and many deals now contracting for 2028 deliveries.
- JLL’s 2026 North America Data Center Midyear report says North America roughly doubled net new demand in H1 2026 to 25GW, while vacancy stayed at 1% for a third straight year; stabilized assets are seeing stronger pricing and renewals.
- Morningstar said existing data centers are insulated by binding utility agreements, but still exposed to curtailment, demand response, and load-shedding risk; the article also cites Texas rules for loads over 75MW and U.S. Department of Energy action involving PJM Interconnection.
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Texas Governor Halts Data Center Grid Connections Pending Audit
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state electric grid regulators to conduct a sweeping audit of every data center project seeking to connect to the Texas grid.
- Abbott’s order halts new interconnections until the review is complete and directs ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas to verify and audit all data center projects moving through the interconnection process.
- The order requires projects to disclose financial incentives, power source, water supply for cooling, community impact mitigation, and ownership / controlling-interest information; companies including Core Scientific, Vantage Data Centers, SB Energy, Meta, OpenAI, Google, Amazon, Oracle, Digital Realty, QTS Data Centers, Mara and Skybox Datacenters have said they will comply, while one unnamed developer and Diode ended projects.
- Abbott’s Aug. 3 order builds on a June 10 directive establishing statewide standards, and the story notes Texas has more than 1,800 projects seeking connections and 474 gigawatts of requests, about 90% from data centers.
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One Team, Two Rounds of Giving: Backpacks for Local Students
DataBank has announced that its employees, vendors, and customers completed a backpack drive for Bluffdale Elementary students and teachers, delivering 60 backpacks stocked with school supplies. - Over $1,250 was donated to purchase backpacks and supplies, and 27 employees helped pack them at the Salt Lake City data center.
- The backpacks included items such as a water bottle, notebook, ruler, crayons, pencil pouch, pencils, eraser, pencil sharpener, glue stick, and kid scissors; extra school supplies were also set aside for teachers.
- The article is a community relations / CSR recap, not a first-time product or infrastructure announcement, and it also references several past DataBank community activities at other data centers.
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Data Center Backlash Widens as Texas Freezes 474 GW Grid Queue
Natural Gas Intelligence quoted Troutman Pepper Locke’s article on Texas data center grid connections and the state’s growing oversight push.
- Attorneys John Arnold, Brandon Lobb, and Rachael Beavers said ERCOT interconnection queue participants “face a delay of indeterminate duration” after Texas froze a 474 GW grid queue.
- The article says Texas had been expected to overtake Virginia as the largest US data center market, but that outcome is now “materially less certain”; Abbott plans to work with the Texas Legislature when it convenes in January 2027, and Troutman attorneys expect the PUCT to seek expanded statutory authority.
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Building the Grid: Solving the State and Local Transmission Puzzle — and Why Speed to Power Depends on It
Troutman Pepper Locke partners Josh Combs and Andy Flavin discussed transmission planning and siting challenges affecting data center-related power delivery in Virginia and the PJM region.
- The speakers explained that speed to power depends on aligning load growth, transmission planning, and state siting approvals, especially for data centers in Virginia and broader PJM territory.
- They noted that Virginia’s 2026 legislation, effective July 1, 2026, shortens the State Corporation Commission review timeline for transmission CPCNs of 138 kV or higher to nine months, with up to four additional months for public comment; they also said Virginia SCC orders can be appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court, adding a year or more.
- The discussion also highlighted PJM’s forecast of about 3.6% annual summer peak load growth over the next 10 years, reaching over 222,000 MW in 2036 and over 250,000 MW in 2046.
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Bloomberg NEF: Texas grid pause puts 20 percent of US data center pipeline at risk
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed a comprehensive audit of all data center projects advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection process, following a pause on new data center grid interconnections. - The audit instructs the PUCT and ERCOT to assess whether data centers pay their own way, provide their own power or rely on the grid, bring their own water or reuse water, mitigate impacts on neighbors, and disclose ownership and controlling interests. - Bloomberg NEF says the pause could affect about 49.8 GW of projects, with potential financial impact of upwards of $8 billion by Q1 2027; ERCOT has more than 470 GW of interconnection requests, about 90% tied to data center load, and expects 8.25 GW of new data center capacity online by 2030. This article is commentary/analysis referencing Abbott’s earlier-month directive and related policy developments, not a first-time primary announcement from the named entities.
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Praetorian’s Virginia Megasite Could Accommodate Data Center Development
Praetorian Fund’s planned acquisition of a roughly 4,000-acre industrial site in Chesapeake, Virginia could include data center development, but no specific project or customer has been identified.
- The site’s existing 2022 development guidelines already allow data centers; Chesapeake is also advancing citywide zoning changes and a draft data center policy that would require review of power, water, wastewater, cooling, and noise impacts, with City Council scheduled to consider zoning changes on August 18.
- Chesapeake has discussed utility access at the site for years, including speculative talks with Dominion Energy and Columbia Gas; officials said no specific 100 MW+ customer commitment has been identified, and the city has a nondisclosure agreement with Praetorian.
- The city once considered buying the property itself, and Vice Mayor S.Z. “Debbie” Ritter said the contemplated public cost to acquire and equip the site could have exceeded $150 million. The current reporting is commentary/investigative context rather than a first-time project announcement.
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The Next Data Center Constraint: Trust
The Data Center Frontier Show released a podcast episode on community trust as a rising constraint on data center growth, featuring Buddy Rizer and Adam Waitkunas discussing opposition, community engagement, and political durability. - The episode aired on August 11, 2026 and focuses on how community acceptance may now constrain development more than power, land, or water.
- Rizer said Loudoun County has more than 250 data centers, uses less than 10% of its water system, and has generated about $1.2 billion in tax revenue, yet distrust still dominates public debate.
- Waitkunas argued for earlier engagement and stronger Community Benefit Agreements, including operational commitments on noise and traffic; both guests warned that moratoriums and local political backlash may increase.
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AWS Data Center Withdrawal Signals Growing Political, Community Challenges
AWS has withdrawn its proposed data center project in Calvert County, Maryland, while the county prepares to consider a six-month moratorium on new data center site plan approvals.
- AWS pulled its application for a 2.5 million-square-foot project near Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, which had planned three campuses, eight data center buildings, and up to 500 MW of capacity supplied by Constellation Energy.
- Calvert County confirmed the withdrawal on August 4 and scheduled a public hearing for August 18 on a temporary six-month moratorium; AWS said it remains committed to Maryland and cited broader infrastructure priorities, while community opposition and a petition exceeding 10,000 signatures were noted in the article.
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3 GW Off PJM, Again: What NERC’s 2024 Investigation Already Told Us
The article is an opinion/engineering commentary by Shalin Savalia arguing that data centers should coordinate ride-through and protection settings with grid operators, amid new compliance actions affecting computational loads.
- The piece cites a July 22, 2026 PJM event in which more than 3 GW of data center load in Ashburn, Virginia left the grid after a transmission fault, with the grid absorbing the disturbance and no bulk-system reliability impact.
- It references NERC’s 2024 incident review of a similar failure mode, plus subsequent regulatory actions: NERC Level 3 alert on May 4, 2026, ERCOT NOGRR 282 approved July 9, 2026, and FERC directing new or modified reliability standards by Dec. 31, 2026.