Data center siting snapshot: Prince William 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 records approximately 158.5 miles of 230 kV-and-above transmission line within Prince William County, comprising 72.9 miles at 500 kV or more and 85.6 miles at 230 kV ^[1]. An additional 107.9 miles of 115–161 kV line are mapped in the area ^[2]. Virginia Electric & Power is the owner of record with the most mapped 115 kV+ line miles ^[3]. Eight named line endpoints, typically substations or switchyards, touch these high-voltage lines inside the county ^[4]. Retail electric utilities with mapped service territories covering part of the county include Virginia Electric & Power and Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, though these boundaries are approximate ^[5].

Local records indicate that PW Digital Gateway rezonings are void, meaning the parcels reverted to prior zoning and any new rezoning must start over ^[6]. At the state level, a GS-5 large-load rate class is enacted for Dominion Energy Virginia, effective January 1, 2027, with 14-year service commitments ^[7]. Virginia has enacted a data center electricity consumption tax in the 2026-28 budget ^[8]. Laws HB153 and SB94 require localities to obtain sound-profile site assessments for new high energy use facilities of 100 MW or more near homes or schools ^[9][11]. HB496 requires registered water users to report potable and reclaimed water volumes supplied to data centers ^[10]. HB503, which is pending, would prevent utility costs related to serving large data centers from being recovered from non-data-center customers ^[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

Virginia Electric & Power, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative. (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 158.5 miles of 230 kV-and-above transmission line inside Prince William County, VA: 72.9 miles at 500 kV or more, 0.0 miles at 345 kV and 85.6 miles at 230 kV. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
2. [2] The same map shows about 107.9 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] 8 named line endpoints touching 230 kV+ lines (usually substations or switchyards) are mapped inside the county. 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: Virginia Electric & Power, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative. Territory boundaries are approximate. Source: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (EIA-861 based; archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
6. [6] Prince William County (county): PW Digital Gateway rezonings voided (The rezoning approvals are void and the parcels reverted to prior zoning. Any new rezoning has to start over). Status: in force, dated 2026-08-05. Source: Prince William County: PW Digital Gateway status page
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)