Timeline Transcript
"Data Center Alley" Ashburn, VA: Data Center Growth & Power Impacts
2010-2015
Ashburn becomes widely known as “Data Center Alley,” due to a cluster of major cloud-infrastructure operators (AWS, Google, Microsoft, etc.) locating data centers here. The infrastructure for interconnection (fiber, power substations) begins to expand.
2019
Dominion Energy reports that since 2019, over 70 data centers totaling ~2.6 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity have been connected in Northern Virginia (including Ashburn) under Dominion’s service. Many more projects are under contract and in planning. Loudoun County sees a surge of new data center proposals, with real estate around Ashburn increasingly in demand. Land prices rise.
2021-2022
Dominion acknowledges that Ashburn and nearby Loudoun County are approaching power transmission and substation capacity limits. In July 2022, for some proposed data center projects, Dominion warned that power delivery may be delayed by years due to transmission constraints. The utility begins planning for new substations and new transmission lines to relieve grid congestion, prioritizing projects and approving some ahead of schedule.
2023
Ashburn’s data center capacity continues growing: Dominion reports that capacity under contract has climbed, and forecasts suggest that by 2035, data center demand may reach 10 GW in that part of Virginia. Public concern begins to increase over impacts: noise, aesthetics, visible infrastructure, and environmental burdens (e.g., backup generators, cooling load) are raised in local government hearings.
2024
A state report (Virginia’s JLARC) and utility projections warn that energy demands from data centers will drive significant increases in infrastructure investments (generation, transmission, substations) over the next decade. Conditions like “peak load” growth are now forecasted to increase ~2-3% annually through 2045, driven largely by data center growth. Rates or potential rate increases for residents and businesses are flagged as likely due to those infrastructure costs being passed through. Policy discussions begin about whether data centers should contribute more directly to transmission or infrastructure costs rather than spreading the cost among all ratepayers.
2025
Dominion publicly states that total data center power capacity under contract in Virginia nearly doubled in the latter half of 2024, going from ~21.4 GW in July 2024 to ~40.2 GW by December 2024. Communities (especially in Loudoun County / Ashburn) push back on proposals for new high-voltage transmission lines that would cut across residential neighborhoods to serve data centers. Issues of visual impact, land use, and property values become more visible in local political debates.