Virginia is seeing a rise in data centers just as demand for power is at unprecedented levels. Some are considering ways to power them on-site.
Data centers are notorious power hogs, and part of the debate about where they should be located always comes down to how much power is available. But what if a small nuclear power plant was co-located at a data center? Ann Bennet at the Sierra Club says data centers are likely to try to create their own power behind the meter.
"I think that's very possible, particularly when it comes to the ‘new technology’ of small nuclear reactors," Bennet says. "These are generally around 300 megawatts, and they can be co-located. And one could imagine one small nuclear reactor per hyper-scale building.”
Thomas Turner at Conservatives for Clean Energy says an all-of-the-above approach is the only way to handle the need for power created by data centers.
"While it's exciting to see the rise of nuclear and the rise of fusion energy like in the Chesterfield area, we still are going to need energy sources like wind and solar to supplement and be a part of the solution as well," Turner says. "Nothing can be left on the table. If we do, you're going to end up with a grid crisis."
Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has been a supporter of small modular reactors as a way to handle the rapid rise in demand for energy created by data centers, although he's on his way out the door. The next governor is likely to make key decisions about where data centers are located and what kind of energy sources power them.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
