This story was reported and written by VPM News.
A secretive Chesterfield County economic development project has been revealed to be a Google data center. It will be part of a $9 billion investment across the state, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Google and Alphabet President Ruth Porat announced Wednesday.
Peanut LLC first purchased land in Chesterfield's Bermuda District for the project in 2020.
"We are deepening our roots here in Virginia. We're investing in the community, we're investing in the future, and we're extending our investments across the state to best position Virginia and America for the opportunities that technology and AI can deliver," Porat said at Brightpoint Community College.
The announcement comes as Virginia's power needs are soaring, driven by data centers utilizing existing internet infrastructure in the commonwealth and over $700 million in annual tax breaks.
Google's funds will be used for "cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure," it said in a press release, as well as expanding existing facilities in Loudoun and Prince William counties.
The tech giant's cloud infrastructure provides services for individuals, businesses, defense, and American and foreign government projects.
Amber Tillman, head of data center public affairs for Google, said that the company does not publicize energy uses of its facilities for competitive reasons.
Virginia will need to approximately triple its energy generation capacity to keep up with data center demand, according to a 2024 JLARC report.
Youngkin and Tillman sidestepped a question on whether the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires 100% of Virginia's energy to come from carbon-free sources, was a hindrance to energy-intensive tech facilities in the commonwealth.
Tillman said that Google is committed to operating on carbon-free energy.
"We're working proactively with Dominion [Energy] and the utilities and partners across the state to ensure that our operations here can meet those goals as well," she said.
Youngkin took the opportunity to ding former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat looking to succeed Youngkin as governor, and to support her opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
"I have heard Winsome Sears advocate for the next phase of technology development, and I heard Abigail Spanberger hesitate on this," said Youngkin. "So we need to know exactly where she stands. Is she for data centers and for expansion of AI capabilities and the jobs that come with it or not?"
"Abigail believes Virginia's Governor should prioritize growing business investment — especially after the Commonwealth lost its 'Top State for Business' ranking — and creating a statewide strategy to help localities make informed decisions for their communities," TaNisha Cameron, a spokesperson for Spanberger's campaign, told VPM News.
Earle-Sears had a nametag waiting for her at Wednesday's event, but did not attend.
Chesterfield County supervisors are set to vote on Peanut LLC's permit at Wednesday's board meeting.
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