Virginia: New data center proposed outside Richmond, Virginia

California-based Province Group has proposed to develop a $3 billion data center campus outside Richmond in Powhatan County, Virginia. According to Roxanne Salerno, economic development manager of Powhatan County, Province Group plans to invest $1.5bn in building the data centers, and the other $1.5bn on equipment.

“In Powhatan County, a data center development will be an employment-generating use that supports local economic development goals by providing a new, significant, and positive commercial tax revenue,” the developer said. “Two-story data centers with structure heights of 75 ft are crucial for optimizing operational efficiency and accommodating the sophisticated building systems required by these modern buildings.”

Dominion Energy's manager for customer service and strategic partnerships, Dominic Minor, said: "We embrace the positive impact this site will have on job creation and investment within Powhatan County and central Virginia." The energy provider has said it will expand the existing substation in the area, and plans to develop a new substation which would have a high voltage transmission line to the site.