Transmission Lines <-> Data Centers

As this endless war against the Valley Link monstrosity drags on, we’re all getting a very expensive education—especially me. Data centers don’t just happen to need giant new transmission lines; they demand them. Certainly they won't consider local power generation unless their hand is forced. And nothing attracts a data center faster than a freshly cleared transmission corridor. The Valley Link Joshua Falls to Yeat route is the textbook example of this cozy little arrangement.

Valley Link’s PR flacks keep insisting this line will be the “backbone” of Virginia’s grid, complete with plenty of juicy “ribs” branching off to feed their data center clients. How thoughtful.

I’ve gone ahead and officially enrolled Block Valley Link in the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition, sponsored by the Piedmont Environmental Council.

You can expect us to start bothering politicians about the deliberate policy vacuum that lets these things get approved with little more than a substation and a wave. Some localities have actually created zoning ordinances, that while they have some teeth, are really no more than a check-list, influenced and approved by the attorneys for the data centers.

Once the concrete is poured, Dominion gets to dust off the eminent domain playbook, backed by the full power of the state, and run whatever lines they feel like running. Funny how that works every single time.

If you’re free, the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter is holding a data center rally this Saturday, July 11th at 11 a.m. at the Bell Tower in Richmond. I'm tied up speaking to a very receptive political committee so can't make it. Click here to RSVP and see further details.

#BlockValleyLink