Virginia Orders Data Centers to Pay for Dedicated New Electric Infrastructure
Virginia, home to the nation's densest data center concentration, now requires data centers to cover the cost of new dedicated power infrastructure, aiming to shield homeowners from rising electric bills. The State Corporation Commission ordered large data center users to pay for transmission infrastructure they exclusively use, potentially saving ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Governor Abigail Spanberger supports the move, citing rising energy costs and community concerns. With over 570 data centers, including 'Data Center Alley,' the state faces growth controversies, while data center power demand is projected to double by 2027.
We are taking real steps to address rising energy costs for Virginians.
- jolmg
> in a bid to spare homeowners from rising electric bills.
Price per kWh is tiered based on usage, right? After a certain amount of kWh's for a billing term (the reasonable amount for even a wealthy residence or a less power hungry industrial customer), they can raise the price for the datacenters without affecting homeowners. Don't see why homeowners would see rising electric bills, except for the time needed to implement the policy to add a tier.
- GoToRO
Sometimes is hard to understand what really happens for me. So regular people compete on price with companies? That is wild. Here the industry in general is the first one to get disconnected from power if there is not enough. This also creates an incentive for people with money to solve the power generation problem that they themselves created.
- samrus
Its only fair. We shoudlnt socialize costs for things where the profit will be private
Which makes me think of publicly owned data centers. Interesting thought