133 data centers and projects on our map in Virginia, including 13 projects we track in detail. Each one links to its source. Below: where they are by county, the projects in the news, and the latest reporting from both sides.
See Virginia on the map. Existing facilities come from OpenStreetMap, a community-maintained public map that is incomplete; proposed, under construction and blocked projects are tracked one by one from news, filings and official records.
Blocked, paused or withdrawn Rezoning and special use permit denied 7 to 0, August 2026
Fredericksburg · Operator: Penzance
A proposed two building, roughly one million square foot data center campus on an 84 acre site next to Interstate 95. The council denied it after a hearing that ran past midnight, citing the site's location outside the city technology overlay district and its proximity to homes and a school.
Issues raised: zoning, opposition, transmission, jobs
Blocked, paused or withdrawn Board of Zoning Appeals denial upheld June 2026
Chester, Chesterfield County
A proposed data center campus near Interstate 95 in the Bermuda District. Chesterfield County changed its zoning ordinance to require conditional use approval for data centers, and the board upheld the denial of the developer's appeal.
Issues raised: zoning, opposition, power
Blocked, paused or withdrawn Rezoning voided by circuit court August 2025, developer appeal dropped April 2026
Gainesville, Prince William County · Operator: QTS Data Centers and Compass Datacenters
A proposed 2,100 acre, roughly 22 million square foot data center corridor near Manassas National Battlefield Park. A judge voided the rezoning after finding the county did not properly advertise the public hearings, and the developers later dropped their appeal.
Issues raised: zoning, opposition, power, transmission
Proposed Announced June 2026, no rezoning vote required because the county has no zoning
Wytheville, Wythe County · Operator: TAC Data Centers, The Ardent Companies
1000 MW · announced 2026-06
A proposed gigawatt scale campus on about 1,000 acres in southwest Virginia. Because Wythe County has no zoning ordinance, the project does not need a board of supervisors rezoning vote, which has become a focus of local debate.
Issues raised: power, zoning, transmission, jobs
Proposed Planning Commission review scheduled 2026-09-17
Remington, Fauquier
900 MW · announced 2026-09-16
The proposed campus would place about 2.2 million square feet of data center space on 182 acres, drawing up to 900 MW of power with three substations and hundreds of diesel backup generators. The Fauquier County Planning Commission is scheduled to review the application on September 17; the Piedmont Environmental Council has recommended denial.
Issues raised: power, transmission, opposition, zoning, air-pollution
Source: Piedmont Environmental Council, 2026-09-16 · On the map
Proposed permits and performance agreement being finalized, groundbreaking expected by end of 2026
Appomattox, Appomattox · Operator: AVAIO Digital
50 MW · $3 billion · announced 2026-10-05
AVAIO Digital's planned six or seven building, 452 acre campus in the Appomattox County industrial park. Construction is projected to start by year end 2026 with initial 50 MW capacity and a long term build toward 1 GW. Local officials project 150 to 280 permanent jobs.
Issues raised: power, water, noise, jobs, transmission
Proposed Rezoning approved 4 to 3 on 2026-10-08
Falmouth, Stafford
announced 2026-10-08
Stafford County supervisors rezoned 121 acres between I 95 and U.S. 1 for two data center buildings totaling 590,000 square feet with an on site substation. The approval granted a reduced residential setback below the county's new 750 foot standard.
Issues raised: noise, transmission, zoning, character
Proposed Army Corps of Engineers permit application filed September 2026
Gainesville, Prince William County · Operator: Microsoft
announced 2026-09-17
Microsoft has filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build two one-story data center buildings and an on-site substation on 123 acres near Gainesville. Microsoft acquired the site in 2024 for about $465.5 million.
Issues raised: power, opposition, zoning, transmission
Proposed Confirmed in due diligence with closing targeted for October 2027
Roanoke, Roanoke County · Operator: Clearview Dynamics
announced 2026-09-22
The Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority confirmed a purchase agreement with Clearview Dynamics for 94 acres of the 111 acre Wood Haven Technology Park, with water to be supplied from the Spring Hollow Reservoir and the developer paying for water and power infrastructure. The parent company behind Clearview Dynamics has not been disclosed.
Issues raised: water, transparency, opposition, zoning
Ashburn, Loudoun
Loudoun remains the world's densest data center market, but its Board of Supervisors moved to temporarily stop accepting new discretionary applications while regulations are rewritten. Administrative and by-right projects continue.
Issues raised: power, zoning, opposition, transmission, character
Ashburn, Loudoun County · Operator: Equinix
Equinix operates a cluster of interconnected colocation buildings on Beaumeade Circle that functions as one of the largest internet peering points in North America. The company has asked Loudoun County to approve another building and utility upgrades, drawing attention to power and land limits in an already saturated market.
Issues raised: power, zoning, transmission
Sandston, Henrico County · Operator: Meta
Meta's Henrico campus in White Oak Technology Park came online in 2020 and is built out toward roughly 2.4 million square feet across five buildings, matched with solar purchases in Virginia. Meta has bought hundreds of additional acres nearby and filed for more buildings, making Henrico a second Virginia flashpoint over grid load, land use and local tax revenue.
Issues raised: power, zoning, tax-incentives, jobs, transmission
Leesburg, Loudoun · Operator: Microsoft
During a seven-day utility substation outage in summer 2025, the facility ran 62 diesel generators and exceeded permit limits for NOx, VOCs and particulates. Microsoft says it has since spent about $31 million on dual-feed grid connections.
Issues raised: air-pollution, power, transmission
The 20 most recent of 22 items. All daily updates.
A proposal by Supervisors Juli Briskman and Laura TeKrony that would have audited roughly 15 approved data center and substation projects and could have stripped grandfathering protections stalled after little support beyond the sponsors. The county attorney warned the move could trigger about $60 million in litigation claims. The board also tabled an outside auditor motion for a later meeting; the separate 12 month pause on new applications is still scheduled for October 20.
Check it: A tabled motion is not a defeated one; both motions can be reintroduced, and the broader 12 month pause is still on the October 20 agenda.
After a meeting that ran past 1 a.m., Stafford County's Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 3 to rezone 121 acres for two data center buildings totaling 590,000 square feet with an on site substation. The approval granted the project a shorter than standard 750 foot residential setback. Supporters cited mitigations near I 95; critics raised noise and transmission concerns.
Check it: The 750 foot setback is Stafford's new standard; the vote shows how often it will be relaxed via mitigation findings.
Loudoun supervisors tabled a proposal to end a 2025 grandfathering resolution that lets 17 pending data center applications continue under older rules. The county attorney warned that rescinding grandfathering could trigger about $60 million in developer lawsuits. The board is still set to vote October 20 on a one year freeze on new legislative applications.
Check it: The $60 million figure is the attorney's estimate, not a filed claim. Check whether any grandfathered applicants have actually threatened to sue.
AVAIO Digital's planned $3 billion, 452 acre campus near Appomattox, Virginia is on track to begin construction by year end as permits and the performance agreement are finalized. The project would use 50 MW on day one with room to grow much larger. Local officials estimate 150 to 280 permanent jobs across six or seven buildings.
Check it: The 50 MW figure is current grid capacity, not the full build. Larger phases depend on new transmission that is not yet in service.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a Notice of Violation to Peanut LLC, the project entity for Google's first Chesterfield County data center, documenting seven sediment runoff incidents between December 2025 and August 2026. DEQ estimates roughly 7,735 linear feet of stream channel and about 1.4 acres of wetlands were affected, with some incidents not reported within the required 24 hours. Google attributed the discharges to heavy rainfall overwhelming stormwater controls.
Check it: This is a notice of violation starting an enforcement process, not a final fine or finding; the eventual outcome, including any penalty, is still pending.
An advocacy roundup says the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to hear staff on October 6 about rescinding the 2025 resolution that grandfathered pending data center applications under old rules, with a formal vote on the 12-month data center application pause set for October 20. The pause was advanced 7-1-1 on September 16.
Check it: This is an advocacy group's agenda summary; the October 6 hearing was procedural, and the binding vote is October 20, when carve-outs may still change.
For the second time, Chesterfield County supervisors delayed a vote on directing about 40 million dollars in expected annual Google data center revenue toward roughly halving the car tax, pushing the decision to November 18. Supervisors said residents still disagree over how to allocate the money, with school maintenance and fire services floated as alternatives.
Check it: The 40 million dollar figure is projected once the campuses are fully operational, not a current revenue stream.
As part of the September 18 Data Center Accountability Framework, Governor Abigail Spanberger directed a state study to identify brownfield redevelopment and previously developed sites suitable for data centers to spread economic benefits outside Northern Virginia. Cardinal News identified potential qualifying sites including former coal mines in Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties, the Radford Foundry, industrial parcels in Danville and Roanoke, and closed landfills in Roanoke and Alleghany counties. Supporters argue brownfields have existing infrastructure and reduce greenfield pressure; opponents say siting still faces political resistance across the state.
Check it: Whether the study identifies specific parcels with confirmed grid and water availability and whether any developer commits to a brownfield project.
The Prince William Board of Supervisors voted 8 to 0 on September 23 to end by-right data center development countywide, shrinking the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay from about 9,700 acres to roughly 3,641 acres. Projects outside the reduced overlay will now need a special use permit, with a 90 day grace period for property owners to qualify to remain inside. Supervisors framed the change as restoring community input; industry groups have argued the shift adds cost and delay to a maturing regional market.
Check it: Whether the amendment is now in effect or subject to legal challenge, and whether existing site plans continue to be approved during the grace period.
The Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority confirmed that Clearview Dynamics is evaluating the 111 acre Wood Haven Technology Park in Roanoke County for a data center campus, with due diligence running through March 2027 and closing anticipated in October 2027. The developer, formed in January and using a corporate services registered agent also used by Google in Botetourt County, would pay for water and power infrastructure and draw from the Spring Hollow Reservoir.
Check it: The parent company behind Clearview Dynamics has not been publicly disclosed. Site plans, capacity and water draw are not yet filed.
Supervisors are scheduled to consider a zoning text amendment that would end by-right data center construction in the county's overlay district and require future projects to obtain a special use permit from the board. The planning commission has recommended approval. Industry groups say the change adds uncertainty for projects near existing infrastructure, while opponents argue by-right approval sidestepped community input.
Check it: Confirm whether the amendment passes and what transition rules apply to applications already in the pipeline.
Governor Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22 launching a Data Center Accountability Framework that bans state agency nondisclosure agreements with data center operators, removes large facilities from fast-track permitting, and calls for legislation ending by-right approval for projects using more than 25 megawatts. Industry groups have not endorsed the framework, and Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas said it still leaves in place the state sales tax exemption that industry critics say costs Virginia about 2 billion dollars.
Check it: The executive order applies to state agencies, not local officials, and by-right approval and tax exemption changes still require action from the General Assembly.
Coverage details Virginia's new framework, including a proposed 25 megawatt threshold for mandatory local approval, expedited noise regulations, water use standards, limits on on-site gas generation, and priority grid access for facilities using clean backup power. Clean Virginia called the order a meaningful step but urged a development pause, while the Piedmont Environmental Council said the plan does not address the immediacy of the issue.
Check it: Most of the substantive limits require legislation or new agency rules; noise rules are not scheduled to be finalized until 2029.
Microsoft filed a permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the MNZ07 Wellington Data Center on about 123 acres near Gainesville, Virginia, with two one-story buildings and an on-site substation. Microsoft bought the site in 2024 for about $465.5 million; a separate Virginia Department of Environmental Quality filing was submitted in July.
Check it: Confirm whether Prince William supervisors and Dominion have to approve additional zoning, substation or transmission steps before construction can start.
Loudoun County's Board of Supervisors voted 7-1-1 to direct staff to draft a resolution pausing new legislative applications for data centers and substations for up to 12 months while the county rewrites its rules. A final vote on the draft is slated for Oct. 20, with a retroactive effective date of Sept. 15 if adopted.
Check it: This is a step toward a resolution, not a final ban; the pause applies only to new applications and the county attorney has said any pause must be time-limited.
The Board directed staff to draft a resolution establishing a temporary pause of up to twelve months on legislative applications for data centers and substations, effective immediately, with a formal adoption vote scheduled for October 2. The pause applies only to items that need a board vote and does not touch administrative approvals, and the county attorney said an indefinite moratorium would not be legal. Supporters say the county needs time to update standards; industry groups warn about signaling risk to investment.
Check it: The pause is not yet final; the formal resolution vote is scheduled for October 2, 2026, and by-right and administrative projects are not included.
Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality issued a $2.5 million civil penalty, its largest ever against a data center, after a June 2025 substation failure led Microsoft's Compass Creek Parkway facility to run 62 diesel generators for seven days and exceed permitted limits for nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. Microsoft agreed to fund air monitoring equipment for high-density data center areas and said it has spent about $31 million on a dual-feed system to reduce the odds of a repeat outage. The order was signed by Microsoft on September 3 and is open for public comment through October 14.
Check it: The penalty is not final until DEQ closes the comment period on October 14; the emission overage totals are one year of aggregate measurements, not a single-day plume.
Senator Mark Warner and Representative Suhas Subramanyam unveiled a package including the Responsible Data Center Siting Act, the Data Center Fair Share Act and companion transparency bills that would push states to adopt large-load tariffs so residential customers do not shoulder grid upgrades built to serve data centers. The bills would also require public disclosure of energy, water, emissions and backup generation data and condition federal tax benefits on efficiency standards. Data center trade groups say the federal push duplicates state regulatory work already under way.
Check it: These are newly introduced bills in a divided Congress; they have not moved out of committee and would need state cooperation to implement the tariff provisions.
Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam rolled out a slate of federal bills including the Data Center Fair Share Act, which would push states to adopt tariffs so data centers cover their own energy infrastructure or forfeit federal highway funds. The push comes as Fauquier County's Planning Commission is set to review the 900 MW, 2.2 million square foot Remington Innovation Campus on September 17.
Check it: Whether the bills have Republican co-sponsors and any Senate committee movement, and whether the highway-funds enforcement mechanism is likely to survive legislative markup.
In a 7-1-1 vote, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors directed staff to draft a resolution pausing new data center applications for up to 12 months while it develops new rules. Board Chair Phyllis Randall framed the pause as temporary; the county attorney said an indefinite moratorium would likely be illegal. A final vote is expected in October.
Check it: Whether the final October vote adopts the 12-month pause, whether by-right grandfathering is preserved, and how many pending applications would be captured.
For the arguments behind these fights, see the case for data centers, the case against, and the questions people ask, each answered from both sides.
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