Spanberger Data Center Plan Draws Fire Over Gas Limits as Virginia Faces 1,600-MW Storage Push
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 22
Spanberger Data Center Plan Draws Fire Over Gas Limits as Virginia Faces 1,600-MW Storage Push
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 22
Summary
Virginia Republicans and some Democrats say Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s data center framework undercuts itself by asking centers to help stabilize the grid while limiting on-site natural gas generation.
Northern Virginia’s power crunch drives the criticism: Loudoun County says typical data centers need 30 to 200 megawatts continuously, and demand is already outpacing new transmission lines and substations.
Spanberger’s office says the plan is the country’s most comprehensive, pairing tighter local oversight and a ban on non-disclosure agreements with incentives for clean power, lower backup-generator emissions and stronger grid accountability.
The dispute lands as Virginia pushes utilities to retire in-state carbon-emitting generation by 2045 under the Virginia Clean Economy Act, leaving open whether clean power, batteries and flexible demand can replace gas reliably enough.