Energy Matters

PEC works toward energy solutions that emphasize efficiency first, use appropriate technologies for the 21st Century and respect the scenic and historic character of the Piedmont. 

2024 General Assembly: Building Bipartisan Support for Conservation

2024 General Assembly: Building Bipartisan Support for Conservation

Updates on the conversations taking place in Richmond and a few of the ways PEC is working to support conservation efforts statewide.

Data Centers, Surging Power Demand Take Center Stage

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.

The Environmental Footprint of the Digital Age

The Environmental Footprint of the Digital Age

Virginia is subsidizing billions of dollars in data center development on the backs of its ratepayers, without a full understanding of the long-term ramifications.

Initial Transmission Proposals – PEC Web Map

Initial Transmission Proposals – PEC Web Map

Transmission line proposals to serve the explosive growth of data centers in Virginia over the past few years have begun to roll in.

PEC Responds to Dominion Energy’s Proposed 2023 Integrated Resource Plan

PEC Responds to Dominion Energy’s Proposed 2023 Integrated Resource Plan

In September, The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Director of Land Use Julie Bolthouse submitted public comment on Dominion Energy’s proposed Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) as part of case number PUR-2023-00066 before the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

Copper Ridge Data Center Campus Heads to Town Council

On Tuesday, Aug. 15, the Planning Commission vote on Copper Ridge was tied 2-2, with one of the commissioners having recused himself. The data center campus rezoning now heads to the Town Council on Sept. 12 without a recommendation either way, and we are writing to ask you to weigh in with the Town Council before it votes.