Data Centers Here, There... Anywhere?

In 2019, Virginia data centers used about as much electricity as nine large coal-powered plants according to Greenpeace. Then the pandemic forced a switch from in-person to virtual and increased demand for video conferencing and online shopping. All this additional traffic pushed demand for even more data centers.

In fact, last year, 18 million square feet of real estate in the region went to data centers, which equates to the power needed to serve approximately 7,000 single-family homes.

It's a trend that is continuing even as we're emerging from the pandemic, and it's uncertain what our needs will be moving forward. While economic officials applaud this trend, the environmental consequences need to be part of the discussion. Read more from NPR here.

Energy consumption, stormwater runoff, location of transmission lines, and compatible land use seem to be taking a back seat as the appetite continues to shove into Prince William County and beyond.

The Data Center Overlay District outlines areas suited for data centers and land is still available. Despite that, there are several data center projects planned outside this designated area. One was recently approved by the BOCS during the June 15 meeting in Haymarket. Read more Prince William Times here.