For most of the industry’s existence in Virginia, approvals for data centers were largely seen as a local issue – with the state and federal governments giving the thumbs up on certain permits.
But as the industry balloons across the commonwealth, those local decisions are triggering statewide implications concerning energy capacity and residents’ rising utility bills.
Two bills in the General Assembly sought to give the State Corporation Commission the authority to review how proposed high-load users — mainly data centers and manufacturing facilities — would impact the environment, energy reliability, and gauge if there is sufficient infrastructure in place to support the power needs…