A Virginia homeowner says the cost of the data center boom may soon be measured in her own backyard. State regulators have approved a Dominion Energy transmission plan that would use about one-third of her land, according to NBC Washington.
What happened?
On June 29, Virginia's State Corporation Commission approved transmission-line route 3A for Dominion Energy's Golden to Mars project.
Ashburn resident Vicky Hu told NBC Washington that the route goes directly through her land. For more than a year, she has been trying to put a stop to the plan.
She said that the route would create a 100- to 150-foot-wide corridor through her backyard, remove around 400 trees from her property, and take about one-third of the land.
"Last year, we were living in hell," Hu told the outlet.
The full transmission line in Northern Virginia's Data Center Alley would run for more than eight miles, and the pole slated for Hu's yard would reportedly be taller than the Statue of Liberty.
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Why does it matter?
In addition to broader concerns about private property rights, residents say the region's data center wealth is coming with direct costs for communities.
Although data centers have brought billions of dollars into Loudoun County, Dominion recently warned customers to expect electric bill increases of about $8 per month, per NBC Washington.
"People are angry with data centers, because we've been sacrificed. Our rights have been sacrificed," Hu told the outlet.
The project is also expected to affect nearby schools, even though the State Corporation Commission turned down another proposal that would have cut closer to schools than route 3A.
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"It's going to have a great deal of impact on everybody in this community, and it is very difficult to stand here and realize how close it is to the schools and where the students are all day," Loudoun County School Board Chair April Chandler said, per NBC Washington.
What's being done?
Dominion Energy still needs to secure the school board's approval before beginning construction. But Chandler told NBC Washington that there is an appeals window, and the board could pursue legal action. A school board meeting is scheduled for Monday night.
The utility company will reportedly have representatives there to answer questions.
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