Virginia is undergoing an unprecedented economic, technological, and environmental transformation, all centered around the activities of one industry: data centers.
Loudoun County
PEC stands with citizens to build excellent communities, relieve taxes and traffic, and protect open space in Loudoun. We work to maintain a balance between the towns, the suburbs and the country so residents can enjoy each of them.
On The Ground Updates – December 2023
A series of short land use and conservation updates from around the PEC region.
Power Surge: Data center boom leads to expansive transmission proposals
We must address the booming data center growth in our state that is requiring unprecedented expansions of our energy grid and hindering our ability to get off of fossil fuels.
Ask Loudoun Supervisors to Adopt the New Zoning Ordinance!
This upcoming Wednesday, Dec. 13, the Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the proposed revisions it made to the Planning Commission’s draft Zoning Ordinance.
Resources from the Hillsboro Town Hall on Transmission Lines and Data Centers – Nov. 30, 2023
On Thursday, Nov. 30, PEC hosted more than 150 people in Hillsboro to discuss transmission line and data center proposals in Loudoun.
Existing and Proposed Data Centers – A Web Map
How many data centers currently exist in Virginia? How many proposals are in the works? These are very good questions. It’s also extremely difficult to provide an answer, given there is no publicly available dataset or state-level tracking of these facilities. In response, The Piedmont Environmental Council has pulled together an online web map showing existing data center facilities (that we are aware of), along with pending data center proposals we have found on various town and county websites, as well as through various news outlets.
2023 Highlights: A Holistic Approach to Conservation
PEC works to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger, more sustainable communities. The following highlights reflect our work in 2023.
Help choose our photo contest winners
Here are the 2023 PEC Photo Contest finalists. Take a look and vote for your favorites now!
Putting the Pieces Together on Digital Gateway
Since 2021, PEC has been supporting our partners’ heroic efforts to stop the largest data center campus in the world from being built on rural land next to Manassas National Battlefield Park, along Pageland Lane in Prince William County, Virginia.
The proposal, dubbed “Digital Gateway,” is massive and is projected to require around 3 gigawatts (GW) of energy. For context, that’s equivalent to the power used by 750,000 homes – roughly 5 times the number of households currently in Prince William County!
PEC Presentation on Energy Infrastructure and Data Centers (Upperville)
On Oct. 23, The Piedmont Environmental Council hosted a community meeting in Upperville, Va. on data centers and associated energy infrastructure.