Ask the Board to pause, seek more information + implement policies for unprecedented power plant
This text was taken from an email alert sent out on July 1, 2026. Sign up for email alerts →
Dear Supporter,
As you may remember from our recent Fauquier Update, the Remington Tech Park (RTP) data center campus developer, PointOne, has proposed building an onsite power plant that would rely on natural gas fuel cells. The scale of the RTP project is unprecedented, both in the U.S. and around the world. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hear the application next Thursday, July 9, and we think it should defer its decision.
The proposed project relies on harmful fossil fuels and incorporates nearly 200 backup diesel generators and gas pipeline infrastructure. Equally important, Fauquier County lacks regulations and zoning ordinances for a private utility, as well as safety standards for a fuel cell power plant.
PointOne just submitted this proposal on June 4 — the Board has had less than 30 days to review it, compared to the six months it spent on the developer’s previous gas turbine power plant proposal. The most responsible option is to slow down the process to obtain more information from PointOne and allow time for the Board to put processes in place to manage this first-of-its-kind use of fuel cells.
You can also provide comments in-person at the public hearing on Thursday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Warrenton Town Hall at 21 Main Street. View the meeting agenda →
What Exactly is in the New Proposal?
The revised Remington Tech Park power plan is a significant change; it replaces the original 13 natural gas turbines with 488 natural gas fuel cells to power the first two data center buildings permanently. Though this plan would reduce air and noise emissions from the levels we expected from the gas turbines, it still includes nearly 200 diesel back-up generators, with their above-ground fuel storage, and will also now require:
- enough natural gas to supply 125,000 homes with year-round power – in other words, enough to power all the homes in Fauquier, Clarke, Warren, Rappahannock, Culpeper, and Stafford counties;
- a new natural gas pipeline extension from a local gas transmission pipeline to the data center campus; and
- a natural gas gate station (typically a secure, fenced industrial hub of steel pipes and specialized equipment that transition natural gas from a main pipeline to a local service pipeline).
This fuel cell power plant would be permanent. This amount of fuel consumption – on a permanent basis – will likely drive the need for more gas lines in Fauquier County. As we shared recently, a new gas line, known as the Power Express Expansion Project-Quantico Lateral near Cedar Run in the Catlett area, is already in the very early design phase.
What are Fuel Cells?
The proposed fuel cell technology converts natural gas to electricity through an electrochemical process, rather than burning it — so it produces less air and noise pollution than traditional gas turbines. But it is still a fossil fuel technology. Fuel cells emit greenhouse gases, namely carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane, with both intentional and unintentional methane leaks from the point of extraction to consumption by the power plant itself. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is 80 times more potent than CO₂.
How Did We Get Here?
In December, PointOne requested approval to use gas turbines to supplement primary power from Dominion. At the time, it was an astounding change to its power plan and represented an unknown scenario for Fauquier County: a private and primary power plant. Over the next three months, PointOne revised its request several times in an attempt to gain Planning Commission approval. On March 18, in a 3-2 vote, the Planning Commission voted to send a recommendation of denial to the Board of Supervisors.
PointOne continued to revise the turbine proposal until it became clear the Board of Supervisors would likely not approve it during the anticipated public hearing in May. On April 24, PointOne requested another delay to rewrite its proposal. It submitted the new proposal on June 4 requesting to build a fuel cell power plant.
This New Proposal is Being Rushed
The Board had almost six months to consider PointOne’s application for gas turbines. But for this latest change to fuel cells, it has less than 30 days. We feel more due diligence is needed to ensure there aren’t unforeseen consequences related to the lack of a governance framework for a private utility, as well as the massive scale of a fuel cell power plant that is unknown anywhere in the world.
We’re glad to see PointOne moving away from harmful natural gas turbines; however, the switch doesn’t change these simple realities:
1. The application is missing critical information that should be included in the proffers (binding, voluntary commitments made to a local municipality in exchange for project approval), including:
- how much energy is required to power the first two buildings;
- the specific type and quantity of fuel cell units planned for those buildings;
- onsite infrastructure requirements;
- general specifications for the natural gas gate station; and
- the size and proposed route of the gas distribution pipeline connecting the gate station to the local gas transmission pipeline.
This technical information was curiously removed from the proffers when PointOne revised its application. That removal leaves a gaping hole in the application that needs to be addressed before any decision is made.
2. No policies or ordinances exist in Fauquier County for the regulation of a private utility. County leaders rely on ordinances and policies written about specific land uses to guide their decisions when reviewing development applications. Fauquier County does not currently have a zoning ordinance framework for reviewing, regulating or governing a private utility, nor does it have performance standards for a fuel cell power plant. Approving PointOne’s application without this critical framework in place could create a dangerous precedent and place the burden of unresolved regulatory, safety and governance questions on residents.
3. Fauquier is unequipped to deal with potential safety issues that could arise as a result of fuel cell use, whether as part of a data center project or otherwise. No other large-scale fuel cell arrays exist anywhere in the world. There are no regulations for their operation and no safety protocols or emergency management plans in place for their ongoing administration and enforcement. We are very concerned that the County has not had time to do its due diligence in understanding this technology and preparing for issues that could arise.
4. We can’t evaluate what we don’t know: With no guidance, no zoning ordinance and no fuel cell power plant policy, there is little choice but to defer this decision.
In our letter to the Board of Supervisors, PEC asked that the Board defer its decision until the county can:
1. evaluate the adequacy of existing fire, electrical and building codes;
2. develop emergency management policies and risk mitigation procedures for a private fuel cell power plant of this scale; and
3. determine how to regulate and govern a private utility that falls outside the County’s current zoning ordinance framework.
A deferral will allow the Board time to perform these steps and for PointOne to provide more detailed information about its plans in the proffers.
What You Can Do
Ask the Board to make this impactful decision with the safety and general welfare of all Fauquier County residents in mind, under the best possible conditions.
The Board has an opportunity on July 9 to prioritize resident safety and apply the brakes until it has the necessary information to be able to effectively regulate, zone and manage unexpected impacts from the use of fuel cells on a large scale.
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to send a letter to members of the Board asking them to slow down this fuel cell power plant proposal and demand more answers. We’ve provided a sample letter at the link below for your convenience. We encourage you to customize it with your personal stories and how this directly impacts you, which carries more weight with the Board.
Thank you for staying engaged on this important issue. Please share this email with anyone you think might be interested and encourage them to sign up to receive our alerts.
We’ll be in touch soon with more information and an opportunity to weigh on a different project – the new Gigaland, now Remington Digital Campus, data center proposal, which will be coming before the Planning Commission on July 16. Stay tuned.
As always, please send me an email if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Eichorn
Senior Land Use Field Representative
Fauquier County
[email protected]
(540) 347-2334 x7046
