Data center siting snapshot: Culpeper County, Virginia

Line miles are measured from the archived HIFLD Transmission Lines layer inside the Census county boundary. Mapped lines are not available capacity.

What the public record shows

The archived HIFLD map indicates approximately 16.1 miles of 500 kV or higher transmission line within Culpeper County, with no mapped miles at 345 kV or 230 kV ^[1]. An additional 29.1 miles of 115–161 kV line are shown in the same dataset ^[2]. Virginia Electric & Power is the owner of record with the most mapped 115 kV and above line miles in the county ^[3]. Substation data is not available in this dataset, and no named line endpoints touching 230 kV or higher lines are mapped inside the county, though this does not confirm the absence of substations ^[4]. Retail electric utilities with mapped service territory covering part of the county include Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and Virginia Electric & Power, noting that territory boundaries are approximate ^[5].

As of 2026-11-09, records hold no county- or city-level data center moratorium or ordinance for Culpeper County ^[6]. At the state and utility level, Dominion Energy Virginia has an enacted GS-5 large-load rate class effective January 1, 2027, featuring 14-year service commitments and minimum charges ^[7]. Virginia enacted a data center electricity consumption tax in the 2026-28 budget ^[8]. Enacted laws HB153 and SB94 require localities to obtain a sound-profile site assessment for new high energy use facilities of 100 MW or more near homes or schools within 500 feet ^[9][11]. HB496 requires registered water users providing offsite water to report potable and reclaimed water volumes supplied to data centers with DEQ air permits ^[10]. HB503, which would prevent utility costs related to serving data center customers of 100 MW or more from being recovered from non-data-center customers unless rates substantially recover those costs, is currently pending ^[12].

Drafted by our local model from the numbered facts below, then checked sentence by sentence by a second model and a rules-based check.

Data center rules on record

Rule records come from The MW Desk legislation tracker, which includes rows from the Moratorium Nation dataset by Michael J. Bommarito (CC BY 4.0). Statuses change; confirm with the jurisdiction's own record.

Utilities on record

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Virginia Electric & Power. (HIFLD/EIA-861 territory polygons; approximate and often overlapping.)

Market context on The MW Desk: Virginia: Northern Virginia + Richmond.

Sources

1. [1] The archived HIFLD map shows about 16.1 miles of 230 kV-and-above transmission line inside Culpeper County, VA: 16.1 miles at 500 kV or more, 0.0 miles at 345 kV and 0.0 miles at 230 kV. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
2. [2] The same map shows about 29.1 miles of 115–161 kV line in the county. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
3. [3] Owners of record with the most mapped 115 kV+ line miles in the county: Virginia Electric & Power. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
4. [4] Substation data not available in this dataset for this county: the dataset has no substation layer, and no named line endpoints touching 230 kV+ lines (the proxy used for substations) are mapped inside the county. This does not mean there are no substations. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
5. [5] Retail electric utilities whose mapped service territory covers part of the county include: Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Virginia Electric & Power. Territory boundaries are approximate. Source: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (EIA-861 based; archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
6. [6] Our records hold no county- or city-level data center moratorium or ordinance for Culpeper County as of 2026-11-09. Source: The MW Desk legislation tracker
7. [7] Virginia state/utility level, Dominion Energy Virginia: GS-5 large-load rate class (A separate class effective Jan 1, 2027, with 14-year service commitments and minimum charges). Status: enacted, dated 2027-01-01. Source: Dominion Energy: GS-5 Large Load Rate Class report
8. [8] Virginia state/utility level, Virginia: 2026-28 budget, HB30 Item 3-5.24: data center electricity consumption tax. Status: enacted, dated 2026-06-29. Source: Virginia budget HB30 (reenrolled) Item 3-5.24: Data center electricity consumption tax
9. [9] Virginia state/utility level, Virginia: HB153 (2026) (Adds Va. Code section 15.2-2209.4. Requires localities to obtain a sound-profile site assessment for new high energy use facilities of 100 MW or more near homes or schools within 500 feet; allows optional review of water, agriculture, parks, historic sites, and forestland). Status: enacted, dated 2026-04-13. Source: LIS Legislation Event History API - HB153 (2026, LegislationID 98797)
10. [10] Virginia state/utility level, Virginia: HB496 (2026) (Requires registered water users that provide offsite water to report potable and reclaimed water volumes supplied to data centers with DEQ air permits, along with other use categories where available). Status: enacted, dated 2026-04-13. Source: LIS Legislation Event History API - HB496 (2026, LegislationID 99301)
11. [11] Virginia state/utility level, Virginia: SB94 (2026) (Companion / identical enacted high energy use facility site-assessment bill; incorporated SB130). Status: enacted, dated 2026-04-13. Source: LIS Legislation Event History API - SB94 (2026, LegislationID 98848)
12. [12] Virginia state/utility level, Virginia: HB503 (2026) (Would prevent utility costs substantially related to serving data center customers of 100 MW or more from being recovered from non-data-center customers unless rates substantially recover those costs from data centers). Status: pending, dated 2026-02-12. Source: LIS Legislation Event History API - HB503 (2026, LegislationID 99308)