On Monday, November 13, 2023, a coalition of organizations including Citizens for Fauquier County, Protect Fauquier, Protect Catlett and The Piedmont Environmental Council held a community town hall about Transmission Lines and Data Centers.
Fauquier County
PEC works to help citizens in Fauquier build better communities and protect cherished resources–scenic views, working farms, historic heritage, clean water, and healthy air.
Transmission line update and community meeting invite
In September, I wrote to you about the explosive growth of Virginia’s data center industry and one of the side effects: a major push for new transmission lines.
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.
PEC response to sign alteration
This week, PEC has become aware that the “It’s Not Over” message on some of these yard signs have recently been covered with materials indicating preference for a particular candidate in the upcoming Warrenton Town Council election. This action was done without our knowledge, involvement, or approval.
Potomac Watershed Field Representative
PEC is hiring for a Potomac Watershed Field Representative to execute a diverse portfolio of land conservation, natural resource restoration, land use policy, and civic engagement efforts in Clarke, Loudoun, and northern Fauquier counties.
Latest on Amazon’s data center in Warrenton
Since we last updated you on Amazon’s Warrenton data center, Amazon has spent these couple of months responding to the Town’s first round of comments on its initial site development plan.
Data Centers, Surging Power Demand Take Center Stage
The size, scale, and speed at which applications for data center projects are coming in and being approved is astounding.
Just this month, massive proposals moved forward in Culpeper, Louisa, and King George counties, with more being reviewed in Caroline and Stafford counties. Prince William, Loudoun, Fairfax, and Fauquier counties all have multiple active proposals for hyperscale data centers, which can demand hundreds of megawatts of power per campus. As an example, the data center campus just approved in King George County could total more than 1,200 MW alone.
On The Ground Updates – September 2023
A series of short updates from around the PEC region.