CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. A helicopter hovers over the Gee family farm, the noisy rattle echoing inside their home in this rural part of West Virginia. It s holding surveyors who are eyeing space for yet another power line next to the property a line that will take electricity generated from coal plants in the state to address a drain on power driven by the world s internet hub in Northern Virginia 35 miles away.
Virginia data centers that process nearly 70% of global digital traffic need more electricity. Coal-fired power plants in neighboring states will provide it.
For months, the western Loudoun subsidized fiber-optic broadband project has lagged behind its targeted “milestones,” but All Points Broadband has insisted the project would still finish on time.
Virginia’s 2024 legislative session wrapped up last month without any action to avert the energy crisis that is hurtling towards us. Crisis is not too strong a word to describe the unchecked proliferation of power-hungry data centers in.
On March 21, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) issued its Compensation for Reactive Power Within the Standard Power Factor Range Notice of Proposed.