TECH

Data centers located in the US state of Virginia face power shortages

Problems continue to plague the Northern Virginia data center market. In addition to the fact that local residents are actively opposed to old and new data centers, there has been a massive shortage of electricity in the local district. According to The Register, there are literally not enough power lines in the region to power every data center.

According to Digital Realty, which owns and maintains more than 290 data centers, local utility Dominion Energy has sent out an alert to major local customers saying that the region's power problems wouldn't end until 2026 at the earliest. At the same time, the problem is not a lack of generating capacity, but a shortage of power lines to supply enough power to the data center. The current capacity of data centers in the state is about 1.7 GW.

Loudoun County is actually the largest data center hub in the world, with a total data center floor space of millions of square meters. The county is often referred to as a “key player” in the global digital economy. Data center industry estate taxes alone are expected to total nearly $600 million in fiscal 2023, enough to cover all county expenses.

Power supply problems could mean that many planned projects will move to neighboring Prince William and Fauquier counties, if not neighboring Maryland. Dominion Energy also serves at least part of Prince William, but Frederick County, Maryland is connected to a different grid.

AVnews