More Data Centers Spark Concerns for Virginia Residents
- Between 2023 and 2024, the demand for data centers exploded, more than doubling the megawatts of storage under construction in primary markets, including Texas, California, and Virginia.
- This surge is driven by the increasing energy consumption of data centers, projected to rise from approximately 4% to as much as 12% by 2028.
- Ashburn, Virginia, now known as the Data Center Capital of the World and located about 40 miles from Washington, DC, has seen a transformation as construction crews build massive data centers housing tens of thousands of computer servers.
- While the data center industry is projected to generate approximately $1 billion in tax revenue and create jobs, many residents express concern that these facilities are causing havoc in their communities due to increased system costs, noise, and light pollution, with a state government report noting that one-third of data centers are located near residential areas and future residential impacts are likely.
- Buddy Rizer from Loudoun County and Deshundra Jefferson, Chair At Large of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, acknowledge the need for commercial tax base growth but emphasize the importance of carefully assessing the impact of data centers on residents' quality of life, with Jefferson stating, "We cannot do anything that's going to destroy residents' quality of life.
15 Articles
15 Articles
More Data Centers Spark Concerns for Virginia Residents
More data centers are popping up across the country as the need for facilities to store digital data increases. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of megawatts of storage under construction in primary markets, including Texas, California and Virginia, more than doubled. Data centers also require a considerable amount of energy to operate – with energy consumption expected to go from about 4% to as much as 12% by 2028. While data centers bring in …
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