The relentless advocacy of Prince William Residents to thwart the industrialization next to the Manassas National Battlefield Park, and across the entire county, has sparked a backlash against the data center ‘business as usual’ model.
- No more greenwash.
- No more hiding massive new transmission line infrastructure as simple upgrades.
- No more lying about the new power generation needed for this one industry.
The TRUTH cannot be denied: Unregulated data center proliferation is a risk to communities. WE, the ratepayers, are not only being forced to sacrifice our private property, our clean water, and our historical and natural resources. WE are expected to cover the costs as well.
Remember, in 2020 Dominion Energy’s estimate for increased power demand was only 2,500 megawatts (2.5 gigawatts), with a prediction that in 2027 the power needs would triple.
But now, in fact, they are anticipating the data center power needs will quadruple.
The Boom in Data Centers Is Changing Virginia, Raising Concerns (businessinsider.com)
“The updated calculation tacked on an additional 8 gigawatts of demand, driven by data centers, to Dominion’s previous 15-year forecast, which it had published in a regulatory filing just a month prior. Eight gigawatts is roughly one and a half times the power load of New York City on an average day.”
“In testimony before the State Corporation Commission in September, Alan Bradshaw, a Dominion executive, said the new forecast anticipated that data centers would consume more than 13 gigawatts of energy by 2038 in its territory, more than four times the power they use today.”
Microsoft’s AI Investment Imperils Climate Goal As Emissions Jump 30% – Bloomberg
“Now to meet its goals, the software giant will have to make serious progress very quickly in gaining access to green steel and concrete and less carbon-intensive chips, said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg Green. “In 2020, we unveiled what we called our carbon moonshot. That was before the explosion in artificial intelligence,” he said. “So in many ways the moon is five times as far away as it was in 2020, if you just think of our own forecast for the expansion of AI and its electrical needs.””
“Microsoft’s predicament is one of the first concrete examples of how the pursuit of AI is colliding with efforts to cut emissions. Choosing to capitalize on its early lead in the new market for generative AI has made Microsoft the most valuable company in the world, but its leaders also acknowledge keeping up with demand will mean investing more heavily in polluting assets.”
“But the tech giant’s electricity consumption last year rivaled that of a small European country—beating Slovenia easily.”
The Wall Street Journal
How Big Data Centers Are Slowing the Shift to Clean Energy (msn.com)
“Data-center grid investments, paid for by all customers, are called unfair by community groups. Elena Schlossberg, grassroots coordinator for the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, compared it to splitting a restaurant bill. “They’re ordering the $200 bottle of red wine…and you’re getting a Caesar salad,” Schlossberg said.”
“Dominion also wants to build a 1,000-megawatt natural-gas plant, for times of high power demand, in Chesterfield County, where a coal plant closed last year. The utility is still removing millions of cubic yards of coal ash from storage ponds at the site.”
“Nicole Martin, president of the Chesterfield chapter of the NAACP, said the predominantly Black neighborhood had a fossil-fuel plant for nearly 80 years. “We’re supposed to endure the health risks and the environmental risk when this power plant, this energy, is not even being used for us,” Martin said.”
What can YOU do?
Complaining on Facebook without follow up action to those in decision-making roles is not going to move the needle in ways that need to happen now.
What you CAN DO is keep the pressure on Dominion Energy and our local and state leaders!
Send your OWN personal email:
We are in a competition for basic resources with the data center industry.
Access to reliable power, clean water, and land to produce food are not simply a luxury, they are a human necessity.
Think it’s impossible to create change? Look at what happened at Mid County Tech Park!
Prince William Planning Commission opposed to data center | Headlines | insidenova.com
Now we need to make that happen on a Board level – for that application, and for all the others being put forward.
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