Virginia: data centers & your electric bill
As of October 1, 2026, AI GridWatch tracks 14 data center moratoriums or pushback actions in Virginia: 10 in force, 2 proposed, 2 expired, rejected or rescinded. The state has 665 tracked data center facilities using an estimated 24.0 TWh of electricity a year.
Everything GridWatch tracks in Virginia on one page — proposed projects, moratoriums, permits, officials, and the 2026 ballot.
Subscribe by RSS — moratorium changes and community headlines for Virginia.
As of July 2026 (3m ago) · changes over months · Source: U.S. Data Center Power Map by State — ElectricChoice.com compilation (updated July 2026; CC-BY 4.0). Underlying load research: LBNL 2024 US Data Center Energy Usage Report; rates: EIA
Facility counts vary by directory because each one draws the boundary differently — DataCenterMap lists 44 in Alabama where this table says 35, since it counts small network rooms alongside hyperscale campuses. Cite the TWh figure rather than the facility count when you can; it is the number that speaks to grid impact. Underlying load research is LBNL-2001637 (Dec 2024).
1Proposed data centers in Virginia (21)
4 still live · 17 decided or withdrawn. Each name links to the full dossier — ownership, intelligence log, and where to read the paper trail.
| Project | Where | Size | Behind it | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaza 500 (Lincolnia) | Lincolnia (Fairfax County) | 34 ac | Starwood Capital Group | Awaiting decision | Source read 2026-08-07 |
| Accokeek Center data campus | Stafford County | — | — | In review | Source read 2026-09-05 |
| Amazon Bridgefield Tech Center (GW campus, Ashburn) | Ashburn (Loudoun County) | 122 ac | Amazon (AWS) | In review | Source read 2026-09-05 |
| Potomac Creek data center (historic cemetery site) | Stafford County | 99 ac | — | In review | Source read 2026-09-05 |
| Amazon Warrenton (Blackwell Road) | Warrenton (Fauquier County) | 42 ac | Amazon (AWS) | Approved | Source read 2026-09-05 |
| EdgeCore Shannon Hill campus | Louisa County (Shannon Hill) | 1,100 MW | EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure | Approved | Source read 2026-08-07 |
| Google Botetourt (Botetourt Center at Greenfield) | Daleville (Botetourt County) | 312 ac | Approved | Source read 2026-09-05 | |
| Red Ace data center campus (Keyser Road) | Culpeper County | 69 ac | Red Ace Capital Management | Approved | Source read 2026-09-05 |
| STACK Infrastructure Berry Hill megasite | Berry Hill (Pittsylvania County / Danville) | 2,990 ac | Stack Infrastructure | Approved | Source read 2026-09-05 |
| QTS Richmond 3 | Sandston (Henrico County) | 144 MW | — | Under construction | Source read 2026-08-14 |
| STACK Infrastructure NVA02 | Manassas | 85 MW | — | Under construction | Source read 2026-08-14 |
| Vantage VA4 Fredericksburg | Fredericksburg | 192 MW | Vantage Data Centers | Under construction | Source |
| CoreWeave Chester VA | Chester (Chesterfield County) | 82 MW | CoreWeave | Source read 2026-08-14 | |
| Google Arcola | Sterling (Loudoun County) | 77 MW | Source read 2026-08-14 | ||
| Google Bristow | Bristow (Prince William County) | 279 MW | Source read 2026-08-14 | ||
| NTT VA11 Gainesville | Gainesville | 336 MW | NTT Global Data Centers | Source | |
| QTS Richmond 1 | Sandston (Henrico County) | 238 MW | — | Source read 2026-08-14 | |
| QTS Richmond 2 | Sandston (Henrico County) | 180 MW | — | Source read 2026-08-14 | |
| Dulles Cloud South | Prince William County | 2,000 ac | — | Denied | Source read 2026-08-19 |
| Mountain Road Technology Park | Hanover County | 427 ac | Tract | Denied | Source read 2026-08-19 |
| PW Digital Gateway | Prince William County | 2,100 ac | Compass Datacenters / QTS | Withdrawn | Source read 2026-08-07 |
2Pushback already happening in Virginia
| Where | Level | Status | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loudoun County | Local | Proposedterm not documented | Board of Supervisors passed Supervisor Briskman's motion 6-1-2 (Umstattd opposed; Kershner and Letourneau absent) directing the county attorney to return in September with options for pausing new data center applications while the county finishes its data center standards. County Attorney Leo Rogers told the board a blanket moratorium is not legal in Virginia: legislative applications (rezonings, special exceptions) could be paused for up to a year, but administrative applications cannot because state code sets review clocks. The item is expected Sep 15, 2026. A separate proposal to strip the exemption from 23 grandfathered projects was deferred Sep 1 for legal review and returns Oct 6. World's largest data center hub | SourceNews read 2026-09-05 |
| Chesapeake | Local | Enactedfixed term, end date not recorded | 8-month pause on data center applications. Council had previously rejected a 350,000 sq ft project in Jun 2025. Planning commission drafting zoning amendments for case-by-case review | SourceNews read 2026-08-13 |
| Front Royal | Local | Enactedexpires soon — 2026-10-04 | 90-day moratorium on land-use applications for data centers, 6-0. Planning Commission drafting language to prohibit data centers in every town zoning district | SourceNews read 2026-08-13 |
| Suffolk | Local | Proposedterm not documented | Council directed Planning Commission to draft UDO amendment prohibiting data centers in all zoning districts. Applications not being considered during drafting, but formal enactment pending | SourceNews read 2026-08-13 |
| Virginia (data center power tax) | State | Enactedno end date — permanent | 2026-28 budget keeps the data center sales-and-use tax exemption but adds the first statewide electricity consumption tax on data centers — $0.011/kWh from Jul 1, capped at $600M a year with the excess refunded. Not a moratorium, and not a zoning restriction | SourceNews read 2026-08-23 |
| Virginia Beach | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-08-18 | 12-month pause on new data center applications, 10-0, ending early if the council adopts a data center ordinance first. Aimed at larger-scale and hyperscale proposals; does not affect the existing Globalinx facility. Staff told the council the city has no established definitions, setbacks or noise thresholds yet. Reported as a Tuesday vote in coverage published before Aug 20; Aug 18 is that Tuesday | SourceNews read 2026-08-23 |
| Fairfax County | Local | Enactedno end date — permanent | Not a pause — a standing zoning ordinance amendment, adopted Sep 10, 2024 and effective Sep 11, that requires Board of Supervisors special-exception approval for nearly all new data centers (by-right only in I-5/I-6 industrial districts), 200-ft setbacks from residential lot lines (300 ft for backup generators), a one-mile buffer from Metro stations, full enclosure or screening of mechanical equipment, and pre- and post-construction noise studies. A companion substation amendment adopted Dec 9, 2025 (unanimous) adds 100-ft residential setbacks, 12-ft solid walls, a 50-ft planted buffer and a 55 dBA nighttime noise limit — but leaves substations by-right in industrial zones, which is why the Plaza 500 (Lincolnia) fight runs through a 2232 public-facility review rather than a rezoning. Applications pending on Sep 11, 2024 were grandfathered | SourceOfficial read 2026-09-05 |
| Stafford County | Local | Enactedno end date — permanent | Standing ordinance, not a pause. Phase 2 data center rules (Ordinance O25-29 and Comprehensive Plan amendment R25-208, adopted Oct 21, 2025; O25-29(R) on Dec 2, 2025 grandfathered five approved projects — Stafford Technology Campus, Potomac Church Tech Center, Centreport Gateway/Pemberton, Vantage VA-4 and Cranes Corner, 31 buildings and 8.7M sq ft) on top of the Oct 2023 Phase 1 rules: by-right only in M-2 and the ICTP overlay, 100/200-ft setbacks from non-commercial zoning (a 500-ft residential setback was recommended), sound mitigation with post-occupancy noise checks at 90 days and annually, 30% open space outside the urban service area. The county reports 11 applications still under review and none filed since Sep 2025. On Sep 1, 2026 the board directed staff to draft letters asking Gov. Spanberger for a special session on data center rules and, failing quick legislation, a temporary pause on new large-scale approvals; Chair Diggs calls the ordinance 'the strictest in Virginia' | SourceOfficial read 2026-09-05 |
| Spotsylvania County | Local | Enactedno end date — permanent | Resolution adopted 4-2 (Mullins and Frazier opposed) backing Sen. Sturtevant's call for the governor to 'issue a statewide moratorium on data centers to determine whether development should be permitted and, if so, under what conditions'. Sits on two standing local rules: a Feb 2026 vote requiring a special use permit for every data center, ending by-right siting even on industrial land, and an Aug 25, 2026 comprehensive plan amendment (3-2) capping data centers at 45% of the county's industrial-zoned land, with two supervisors voting no because they wanted a lower cap. The county had earlier welcomed some $35B in data center investment | SourceNews read 2026-09-05 |
| Culpeper County | Local | Enactedno end date — permanent | Unanimous zoning text amendment requiring a conditional use permit — planning commission review, public hearing and a board vote — for data centers on light and heavy industrial land (about 2,200 acres on 140 LI parcels plus 867 acres HI). Data centers inside the Culpeper Technology Zone stay by-right. The permit route has not meant denial: on Jul 2, 2026 the board rezoned 69.19 acres of farmland at Nalles Mill and Keyser roads 4-3 for Red Ace Capital's two-building, 1.16M sq ft campus, after tabling it in June. The county counts two operating data centers and expects seven campuses in the Tech Zone plus an approved Amazon campus | SourceNews read 2026-09-05 |
| Fluvanna County | Local | Expiredterm ran to 2026-01-31 | In Sep 2025 the board directed staff to postpone consideration of data center site plan applications until Jan 31, 2026 while it rewrote the code; the planning commission's minutes called it a moratorium and County Attorney Dan Whitten later said it was not one. In Dec 2025 the board amended the code to require a special use permit for data centers in industrial districts. On Aug 5, 2026, with an 843-acre agricultural parcel near Bremo Bluff being marketed as a data center site, Supervisor Fairchild asked for a resolution and a temporary pause on new applications to be placed on the Aug 19 agenda; Chair O'Brien opposed an outright prohibition. The Aug 19 outcome has not been located — check the minutes before citing | SourceNews read 2026-09-05 |
| Virginia (statewide pause request) | State | Rejectedterm not documented | Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R) wrote to Gov. Spanberger on Jul 30, 2026 asking her to use executive authority for an immediate moratorium on new data center approvals while the state assesses grid, water and infrastructure capacity; Sens. Richard Stuart (R) and Russet Perry (D) jointly asked for a special session on groundwater. Spotsylvania (Aug 11, 4-2) and Stafford (Sep 1) boards backed the ask. The governor's office answered Aug 11 that its approach — the $0.011/kWh consumption tax and an SCC directive making new data centers pay their full transmission cost — 'supersedes any effort to block them from being developed', and Spanberger has said a pause is a local choice. Under Virginia's Dillon's Rule a locality cannot enact a true moratorium; it can defer applications for up to 12 months while amending its ordinance | SourceNews read 2026-09-05 |
| Virginia (Dominion GS-5 large-load rate class) | State | Enactedno end date — permanent | SCC final order in Dominion's biennial review (PUR-2025-00058) creates rate class GS-5 for customers demanding 25 MW or more — in practice data centers — effective Jan 1, 2027. GS-5 customers sign long-term contracts (reported as 14 years) with minimum demand charges covering at least 85% of contracted transmission and distribution demand and 60% of generation demand, so a campus that under-uses its reservation still pays for the grid built for it. The same order cut Dominion's base-rate ask: residential bills rise $11.24/month in 2026 (23.7% less than requested) and $2.36 in 2027 | SourceOfficial read 2026-09-05 |
| Virginia (2026 General Assembly package) | State | Enactedno end date — permanent | Of 61 data center bills filed in the 2026 session, 15 reached the governor. Among them: HB 1393 (Dominion to petition the SCC for rates recovering new generating-capacity costs from 25 MW+ customers), HB 284 (demand-flexibility programs for 25 MW+ customers by 2029, costs not passed to other customers), SB 339 (SCC to determine whether high-load service is subsidised by other customers), SB 336 and HB 1502 (Tier 4 backup generators; one-year standby-generator pollution study), HB 496 and SB 553 (monthly water volumes reported by water utilities; annual water consumption estimates required in rezoning and permit decisions), and HB 153 (a permit process for 100 MW+ facilities with sound assessments within 500 ft of homes and schools and locality assessments of water, agriculture and historic resources). The governor's Jul 6, 2026 release says she signed the generator, local-assessment and ratepayer measures — confirm each bill's final status on LIS before citing a number | SourceNews read 2026-09-05 |
As of August 2026 (2m ago) · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
3Other Virginia communities in the news (4)
Places with archived data-center coverage but no moratorium on file. Grouped automatically from headlines and not verified — a lead worth reading, not a claim to cite.
- Northern Virginia — 26 archived headlines
- Prince William County — 14 archived headlines
- Wytheville — 11 archived headlines
- Botetourt County — 6 archived headlines
4Known data center campuses in Virginia
| Operator | Location | Tenant | Filing LLC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Virginia | Land-acquisition shells: Jet Stream LLC, Sharka LLC | ||
| Meta | Henrico | Meta | Codename shells: Greater Kudu, Raven Northbrook, Stadion, Wobniar, Pinnacle Mountain |
| Microsoft | Northern Virginia | Microsoft | Project-name / generic 'Holdings LLC'; less consistently codenamed |
| Microsoft | Boydton (Southern Virginia) | Microsoft | Project-name / generic 'Holdings LLC'; less consistently codenamed |
| Amazon (AWS) | Northern Virginia (Loudoun Co.) | Amazon (AWS) | Vadata, Inc. — AWS's build/operating entity on many permits |
| Equinix | Ashburn (DC1–DC15 IBX campus, Loudoun Co.) | Colocation tenants (undisclosed) | IBX-branded site entities |
| Digital Realty | Ashburn (Digital Loudoun campus, ~500 MW) | Colocation tenants (undisclosed) | 'Digital [City]/[Address] LLC'; legacy Telx entities; Ascenty (LatAm) |
| Vantage | Sterling / Ashburn (Ashburn I–III, 142 + 288 MW) | Colocation tenants (undisclosed) | Per-campus 'Vantage ... LLC' site entities |
| QTS | Ashburn (Ashburn 2 / Dulles Vault campus, Loudoun Co.) | Colocation tenants (undisclosed) | 'QTS ... LLC' + Blackstone holding entities; early generic project LLCs |
| CloudHQ | Ashburn (LC campus) and Manassas (MCC campus) | Colocation tenants (undisclosed) | — |
⏳ No verification date recorded · changes over months · Source: Operator ownership & filing-LLC naming patterns — compiled from operator releases and county filings, then checked against SEC EDGAR full-text search. Composite, not a single citation: look the entity up yourself before naming it in a filing
Each row carries its own attribution level — first-party rows come from the operator's own site, but colocation and REIT ownership was compiled from trade press and never passed an independent fact-check. Check the attribution column before citing a row.
5Every data center already built in Virginia
The campuses above are the ones GridWatch tracks by operator and filing LLC. For the full inventory — street addresses of every existing facility, including the smaller colocation and network sites — DataCenterMap keeps a public directory for Virginia.
Browse the Virginia directory →
Two caveats before you cite it at a hearing: it lists facilities that already exist, so a newly proposed campus will not appear; and it counts a small network room the same as a hyperscale campus, so the facility count is not a measure of power draw or community impact.
6What communities in Virginia have won
- Loudoun County (Multiple) — Declined abatements and taxed data centers instead: the FY2027 adopted budget projects $1.3B in data center revenue — about 40% of the total county budget (FY2026: $1.2B, 39%). The benchmark for what a jurisdiction with market power can simply refuse to give away Source 1 · verified 2026-09-04
7Case studies
Prince William County, VA — Voters removed the board chair; the courts voided the rezoning
In 2022 a board majority led by Chair Ann Wheeler rezoned more than 2,000 acres of farmland for the Prince William Digital Gateway. On June 20, 2023 Wheeler lost the Democratic primary to Deshundra Jefferson, who had campaigned against large-scale data centers. The board approved the rezoning 4–3 that December regardless — and it was the courts, not the ballot box, that ended it: the rezoning was voided on appeal and a developer withdrew, effectively killing the project. Statewide, Virginia voter support for new data centers fell from 69% in 2023 to 35%. Elections changed who was in the room; litigation changed the outcome.
8What Virginia's own study found
Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) Data Center Study (December 2024)
Commonwealth of Virginia (Report 591)
Comprehensive analysis of Loudoun County ('Data Center Alley') density, PJM transmission bottlenecks, and tax revenues.
- Tax Revenue Windfall: Data centers generated over $1B in annual local tax revenue in Northern Virginia, significantly subsidizing residential public school systems and services.
- Transmission Constraints: Unprecedented cluster density in Loudoun & Prince William counties has triggered PJM transmission constraints, requiring billions in grid upgrades (e.g. 500kV lines) funded by all grid ratepayers.
- Clean Energy Backlash: Meeting hyperscaler green commitments (100% renewable matching) has led to massive solar land-use debates across rural Virginia counties.
- Water Stewardship: Transitioning away from open-loop evaporative cooling towards air-cooling has reduced water intensity, but older facilities still consume millions of gallons daily.
Read the report · read 2026-08-13
9Your regulator
Virginia State Corporation Commission — website · file a complaint
Official state energy data: EIA Virginia electricity profile — generation, prices, and consumption from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
10Where the Virginia paper trail lives
Air & environmental permits: Virginia DEQ
No searchable register. Virginia does not publish a permit database you can query. A public-records request to the agency is the only route to the file.
Grid interconnection queue: PJM Interconnection (Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley)
A routing hint only — several states are split between markets, and the serving utility is the only authority on which queue a given site is in.
These are places to look, not evidence that anything has been filed. Links were checked on 2026-08-21; search links are queries, not records.
11Goochland County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: 1st Tuesday monthly, 2:00 p.m. (public hearings at 6:00 p.m.); 3rd Tuesday reserved for additional meetings · County Administration Building, Board Meeting Room 250, 1800 Sandy Hook Road, Goochland, VA 23063
Public comment: Email comments on any agenda item to BOSCOMMENT@GOOCHLANDVA.US. Meetings stream on the county's YouTube channel. Each member has a published Voting History page.
Source: https://www.goochlandva.us/158/Board-of-Supervisors · as of 2026-07-26
12Prince William County — Board of County Supervisors
Meets: See the county's published annual meeting calendar · 1 County Complex Court, Prince William, VA 22192
Public comment: Residents may attend in person or participate remotely. Each supervisor keeps a district office — contacting your own district member directly is more effective than the general line.
Source: https://www.pwcva.gov/department/board-county-supervisors/co · as of 2026-07-26
13Chesterfield County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: See the county's published 2026 meeting schedule (Board Meetings page) · Public Meeting Room, 10001 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, VA 23831
Public comment: Regular meetings include public comment periods; see the county's Public Comments page. Public hearing notices are posted for rezoning items.
Source: https://www.chesterfield.gov/1218/Board-of-Supervisors · as of 2026-08-05
14Wytheville — Town Council
Meets: 2nd and 4th Monday, 5:00 p.m. · Wytheville Municipal Building, 150 E. Monroe Street, Wytheville, VA 24382
Public comment: See the town's Agendas & Minutes page for the public-comment process for a specific meeting.
Source: https://www.wytheville.org/town-council · as of 2026-08-12
15Fairfax County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: Usually two Tuesdays per month. · Board Auditorium, Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035
Public comment: Public hearings: register in advance with the Department of Clerk Services (703-324-3151) or at fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/speakers-form; 3 minutes speaking on your own behalf, 5 for an organization. General public comment is heard after the last public hearing of the day — max 10 speakers, 3 minutes each, once per six months, and not on items already set for a public hearing. The Plaza 500 substation is a Planning Commission 2232 review (Sep 24, 2026, 7 p.m.), not a Board hearing — sign up with the Commission.
Source: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/boardofsupervisors/sites/board · as of 2026-09-05
16Loudoun County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: See the board's published meeting calendar. · Board Room, Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, VA 20175
Public comment: Board comment line 703-777-0115. Sign up to speak at public hearings through the Clerk; see the board's published agenda for the process for a specific meeting. The moratorium-options item is expected at the Sep 15, 2026 business meeting.
Source: https://www.loudoun.gov/6221/Phase-1-Project-Plan-for-Data-C · as of 2026-09-05
17Stafford County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: 1st, 3rd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 5:00 p.m. (4th Tuesday is a work session as needed; recess July–August). · Board Chambers, 1300 Courthouse Road, Stafford, VA 22554
Public comment: Sign up through the county's Public Hearings and Participation page or submit Online Public Meeting Comments; meetings stream at regionalwebtv.com/staffordbos.
Source: https://staffordcountyva.gov/government/elected_and_appointe · as of 2026-09-05
18Spotsylvania County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 5:00 p.m. unless otherwise specified. · Holbert Building, 9104 Courthouse Road, Spotsylvania, VA 22553
Public comment: Use the Board of Supervisors Public Comment Sign Up Form on the county site; clerk 540-507-7010. The Chancellor District seat is vacant as of Sep 2026.
Source: https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/1195/Board-of-Supervisors · as of 2026-09-05
19Botetourt County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: 4th Tuesday of each month, 2:00 p.m. · Botetourt County Administration Center, 57 S Center Drive, Daleville, VA 24083
Public comment: Speak in person (3-minute limit), mail comments to 57 South Center Drive, Suite 200, Daleville, VA 24083, or use the online Citizen Comment Form; written comments must arrive by 9:00 a.m. on meeting day to enter the minutes. Livestream is view-only. Deputy Clerk Celeste Parker, 540-928-2006.
Source: https://www.botetourtva.gov/338/Board-of-Supervisors · as of 2026-09-05
20Pittsylvania County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: As scheduled on the county's Upcoming Meetings page. · 39 Bank Street, Chatham, VA 24531
Public comment: Members are reached through the contact forms on the board page; Clerk to the Board Kaylyn McCluster, 434-432-1987. See the published agenda for the public-comment process for a specific meeting.
Source: https://www.pittsylvaniacountyva.gov/170/Board-of-Supervisor · as of 2026-09-05
21Culpeper County — Board of Supervisors
Meets: Regular meetings on the first Tuesday; see the board calendar (e.g. Oct 6, 2026 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.). · 302 North Main Street, Culpeper, VA 22701
Public comment: Email all members at BOS@culpepercounty.gov; agendas and minutes are on BoardDocs. See the published agenda for the public-comment process for a specific meeting.
Source: https://web.culpepercounty.gov/bos/page/members-board · as of 2026-09-05
22Warrenton — Town Council
Meets: See the town's Meetings, Agendas, Minutes & Recordings page for the current schedule. · Town Hall, 21 Main Street, Warrenton, VA 20186
Public comment: Submit a public comment virtually through the town's Submit a Public Comment page, or contact the Town Clerk via the main office, 540-347-1101.
Source: https://www.warrentonva.gov/380/Council-Members · as of 2026-09-05
23Your federal delegation and governor
Grades cross party — this is an issue axis, not a partisan one. A blank grade means no documented action was located, never that the official is neutral.
| Grade | Official | Documented action (sourced) | Reach them |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Abigail Spanberger Democratic · Governor | Signed 2026 energy laws: data centers pay their fair share, stricter backup-generator rules, and a first-of-its-kind energy-consumption tax. — Gov. Spanberger signs energy legislation on data centers (2026) | site · contact |
| A | Mark R. Warner Democratic · Senator · on the 2026 ballot | Sponsored legislation so Virginians aren't stuck footing data-center utility costs, plus an energy/water disclosure bill. — Sen. Warner — bill so Virginians aren't stuck footing big data-center costs (2026) Mixed ADDITIONAL: in July 2026 rolled out the Data Center Tax Accountability and Disclosure Act, which requires large AI data centers to disclose energy, water, emissions and backup-generation data and conditions bonus depreciation on efficiency standards; in April 2026 he called a moratorium 'idiocy'. sources | site · contact |
| — | Tim Kaine Democratic · Senator · next on the ballot 2030 | No documented action on data centers located Mixed Opposes a statewide data-center moratorium and points to Virginia's energy-consumption tax as the way to make data centers pay their full electricity costs. sources | site · contact |
| — | Robert J. Wittman Republican · Representative 1 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| A | Suhas Subramanyam Democratic · Representative 10 | Opposes data-center expansion in his Northern Virginia district; introduced the Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act. — Rep. Subramanyam files data-center protection/energy-cost bills (2026) | site · contact |
| — | James R. Walkinshaw Democratic · Representative 11 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Jennifer A. Kiggans Republican · Representative 2 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Robert C. "Bobby" Scott Democratic · Representative 3 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Jennifer L. McClellan Democratic · Representative 4 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | John J. McGuire III Republican · Representative 5 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Ben Cline Republican · Representative 6 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Eugene Simon Vindman Democratic · Representative 7 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. Democratic · Representative 8 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | H. Morgan Griffith Republican · Representative 9 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
Roster: regenerated by scripts/refresh_officials.py (Senate XML + congress-legislators + current governors).
Write to your senators → Your senators in detail → Full officials scorecard → Find your state legislators →
242026 U.S. Senate race
PVI D+3 · Seat held by Mark Warner (Democratic) · Incumbent renominated
Mark Warner (Democratic) · incumbent Guardrails
Sponsored the Power for the People Act to stop households subsidising data centers: separate rate classes for data centers, FERC-enforced payment for the local transmission upgrades they trigger, and better load forecasting.
- Introduced the Power for the People Act with eight Democratic cosponsors (Van Hollen, Durbin, Blumenthal, Booker, Duckworth, Smith, Welch, Alsobrooks). It would create new utility rate classes for data centers, direct FERC to make data centers pay for the local transmission upgrades they require, tie interconnection to clean energy and prevailing-wage incentives, and improve demand forecasting. Warner: “If corporations are going to run data centers in Virginia, they should cover the cost of them.” (2026-06-02 — source)
Tech & utility PAC money: $61,200 from 15 committees (FEC, cycle 2026, pulled 2026-08-26) — FEC record
Record read 2026-09-05.
Recent mentions (1) — automated, not verified
Headlines that name this candidate and mention data centers or AI. Matched by a script, read by nobody. A mention is a lead, not a record — do not cite one as a position.
Bert Mizusawa (Republican) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Mark Moran (Independent) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Ballot roster: state candidate list (read 2026-08-25).
252026 U.S. House races in Virginia (11)
A documented data-center record exists in 11 of 11 districts. A candidate with no badge colour has said nothing we could locate — that is a gap in the record, not a neutral position. ★ marks an incumbent.
| District | PVI | Incumbent | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA-1 | R+3 | Rob Wittman | Rob Wittman ★ Shannon Taylor |
| VA-2 | EVEN | Jen Kiggans | Jen Kiggans ★ Elaine Luria |
| VA-3 | D+18 | Bobby Scott | Bobby Scott ★ Edwin Rivera |
| VA-4 | D+17 | Jennifer McClellan | Jennifer McClellan ★ Robert Murray |
| VA-5 | R+6 | John McGuire | John McGuire ★ Tom Perriello |
| VA-6 | R+12 | Ben Cline | Ben Cline ★ Beth Macy |
| VA-7 | D+2 | Eugene Vindman | Eugene Vindman ★ Doug Ollivant |
| VA-8 | D+26 | Don Beyer | Don Beyer ★ Tony Sabio |
| VA-9 | R+22 | Morgan Griffith | Morgan Griffith ★ Joy Powers |
| VA-10 | D+6 | Suhas Subramanyam | Suhas Subramanyam ★ Dave Beckwith |
| VA-11 | D+18 | James Walkinshaw | James Walkinshaw ★ Arthur Purves |
The documented records (11 districts)
VA-1
Rob Wittman (Republican) · incumbent Accelerate
Backed an NDAA provision using a Naval Weapons Station Yorktown–Dominion nuclear partnership as a pathfinder for meeting military and data-center power demand. Supply-side only; nothing located on who pays or on siting.
- Supported the FY2026 NDAA committee text that “directs the Navy to use a promising partnership between Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and Dominion Energy as a pathfinder to determine how to leverage nuclear power to meet Navy and Marine Corps installation power demands, in addition to supporting the data center energy demands of accelerating technologies like artificial intelligence.” (2025-07-15 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-05.
VA-2
Jen Kiggans (Republican) · incumbent Mixed
An interview quote, not an action: said data centers cannot all be banned but there is “a commonsense conversation to be had” about their energy and water use, and that the fight belongs in Richmond. Her district includes Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, both under local pauses.
- Told The Daily Signal: “They have data centers under the ocean floor. We can't ban all data centers,” adding there is “a commonsense conversation to be had” on their consumption of energy, water and local resources, that the debate has so far been left to the General Assembly, and that she has “enjoyed watching the Democrats fight with each other about the issue.” (2026-08-18 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-05.
VA-3
Bobby Scott (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
VA-4
Jennifer McClellan (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
VA-5
John McGuire (Republican) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
VA-6
Ben Cline (Republican) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
VA-7
Eugene Vindman (Democratic) · incumbent Guardrails
Introduced the Smart Data Center Policy Act, a Commerce Department study of siting data centers in industrial zones, transport hubs and military bases instead of next to neighborhoods, schools and parks. A study bill, not a mandate.
- Introduced the Smart Data Center Policy Act, directing the Department of Commerce to study the costs, benefits and possible federal incentives for siting data centers in industrial zones, rail and airport hubs and military installations rather than near homes and green space, with findings due to Congress in 180 days. Vindman: “We need to ensure data centers pay their fair share and are built in places that make sense — not next to neighborhoods, schools, or our public lands.” (2026-08-04 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-05.
Recent mentions (2) — automated, not verified
Headlines that name this candidate and mention data centers or AI. Matched by a script, read by nobody. A mention is a lead, not a record — do not cite one as a position.
VA-8
Don Beyer (Democratic) · incumbent Guardrails
Wrote to the Fairfax County Planning Commission asking it to deny the Dominion substation that would power the Plaza 500 data center in Lincolnia — a documented action on a live project in his district, not a bill.
- Sent a formal letter urging the Fairfax County Planning Commission to reject the 2232 permit for the Edsall Road data-center substation at Plaza 500, citing flooding, light and noise: “Data center infrastructure should not be built in residential areas where its scale and likely impacts are fundamentally incompatible with the character and quality of life of adjacent neighborhoods.” (2026-07-30 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-05.
VA-9
Morgan Griffith (Republican) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
VA-10
Suhas Subramanyam (Democratic) · incumbent Guardrails
Represents Data Center Alley and has filed two bills on it: a DHS security strategy for communities around data centers, and a bipartisan NIST standard for measuring what each facility actually draws in power and water.
- Introduced the Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act, directing the Department of Homeland Security to write a security strategy and recommendations for protecting communities around data centers and the transmission and water systems that serve them. (2026-05-08 — source)
- Introduced the bipartisan Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act with Reps. Obernolte (R-CA) and Foushee (D-NC), directing NIST and DOE to set standards for measuring data center energy and water use so forecasting and siting rest on disclosed numbers. Subramanyam: “We need a simple way to track how much power and water these facilities use.” (2026-06-18 — source)
- At a Brookings Institution event, called the current ad hoc, community-by-community approach to data center siting “short-term profit-driven” and sometimes “predatory”, and called for “a national strategy that puts communities first”: coordinated planning across states, disclosure of development agreements that now carry nondisclosure clauses, and measured rather than projected power and water use. (2026-09-22 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
Recent mentions (3) — automated, not verified
Headlines that name this candidate and mention data centers or AI. Matched by a script, read by nobody. A mention is a lead, not a record — do not cite one as a position.
VA-11
James Walkinshaw (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
26Latest Virginia data center news
LG ELECTRONICS ESTABLISHES FIRST U.S. FACTORY TO PRODUCE CHILLERS FOR AI DATA CENTER COOLING
Virginia bans data center NDAs as part of new digital infrastructure framework
LG Electronics bets 150 billion won on AI cooling
LG Electronics to Build U.S. Chiller Plant for AI Data Centers
Taxes from data center electricity helps lower health insurance rates for 200,000 Virginians. There may be a catch to this revenue stream, though.
Fake Equinix Data Center Image Circulates in St. Mary’s
A data center was proposed near you?
The free toolkit walks you through it in five steps: who's really behind the LLC, what it costs your community, what to do this week, and a downloadable action pack — speech, letters, flyer, and CBA targets included.
State municipal league: Virginia Municipal League