Spanberger wants state to study brownfields as potential data center sites. Here are some that might qualify.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s data center policy is noteworthy for two things it didn’t do: It didn’t call for doing away with the state’s sales tax exemption on data centers and it didn’t call for a moratorium on data center development.

The governor has been adamant that the state needs to keep its word (the exemption runs through June 2035) and as manager of the state’s economy, she’s no doubt keenly aware that data centers are responsible for at least $9.1 billion in gross domestic product in Virginia.

However, her executive order on data centers might come to be noteworthy for something that it does do. Section 4 sets in motion a study on where data centers should go.

For a while, what we were hearing was that data centers ought to be confined to industrial/business parks, which seemed a sensible enough notion. However, lately we’re finding that even data centers headed for such places are proving controversial. See Botetourt County, where the Google complex going to the Greenfield Business Park has excited public opinion; or Franklin County, where there appears to have been a failed move to locate a data center in the Summit View Business Park, or now in Roanoke County, where a data center that’s going to the Wood Haven Technology Park is causing commotion. (Our customary disclosure: Google is one of our donors through its Google News Initiative for our New River Valley expansion; donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy. Or become a donor yourself and test that proposition.)

If we can’t put data centers in industrial/business parks, where can we put them? (Those who push for a moratorium would likely say “nowhere” but, as we’ve seen, that’s off the table.) Spanberger’s study — due in 180 days, or mid-March 2027 — calls for the state’s energy department to identify possible locations “that diversify economic benefits across the Commonwealth and minimize energy, water, land-use, infrastructure, and community impacts.”

Let’s parse that language in case it turns out to be meaningful.

Since most data centers now are concentrated in Northern Virginia, that “diversify economic benefits” phrase clearly works out to be “somewhere other than Northern Virginia.” That potentially means data centers in whatever portions of rural Virginia qualify on the other criteria. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing depends on how you feel about data centers.

Since they have become politically toxic, the contrarian in me feels compelled to point out that data centers do generate quite a bit of tax revenue — and while they don’t generate a lot of jobs, a state study in 2024 put the workforce at the typical data center at about 50 people making six-figure salaries. That is why some localities want them, despite their energy demands and water demands.

Spanberger’s executive order spells out certain places and things that should be studied. One of those is “regional diversification and development in areas with appropriate infrastructure capacity.” The first part of that phrase opens up virtually all of rural Virginia, while the reference to “appropriate infrastructure capacity” limits it. I don’t know how to draw a map showing that; maybe the state study will. However, another line in her executive order is very much mappable. The governor directs the state to “examine opportunities for brownfield redevelopment, adaptive reuse, and previously developed sites.”

The two key phrases there — at least in my reading of this — are “brownfield redevelopment” and “previously developed sites.”

Let’s take these in backwards order. If data centers weren’t so unpopular right now, every fiscally stressed city in the state ought to be clamoring for them as a solution to their revenue problems. Many cities these days have dead shopping malls or old factory sites that will never again see retail stores or manufacturing companies. Would data centers at some of those locations be better than paving over some farmland somewhere?

The governor’s reference to “brownfield redevelopment” is more curious — and more measurable. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality publishes an interactive map of officially defined brownfields in the state. There are multiple ways to search that map, so let’s tool around. Here are the brownfields in Virginia:

Now let’s see what happens when we add in existing transmission lines. Unfortunately, those only show up when we zoom in close, which means we can only reproduce them here if we take screenshots of six different parts of Virginia. The plus side is we do get to see a closer look at some of these sites, so here goes. We’ll start in Southwest Virginia and work our way east and north. The yellow power lines are the biggest (735 kilovolts and up), the magenta is 345-500 kV, the blue 220-287 kV, the red 100-161 kV, the purple under 100 kV, the gray is listed as “not available.”

OK, so that sets the general playing field. Now let’s take a closer look at some of the places that show up as brownfields. I’m not saying any of these other places should be a data center; I’m just pointing out that these are sites that could turn up on a list of recommended sites. Also note that many of these brownfields are listed as Environmental Protection Agency Repowering Sites, meaning they’ve been prescreened by the EPA as potential sites for renewable energy development. Energy generation is often as unpopular as data centers — and data centers do need energy (lots of it). Would that EPA-approved status elevate some of these brownfield sites? 

Former coal mines in Southwest Virginia

This turns up a lot of locations, particularly in Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties. These locations may not match up well with other criteria — such as access to transmission lines and water — but they do survive this first search. Some of these localities have long pined for data centers and have pushed the idea of using underground mine water for cooling. Is this an idea whose time has now come? Conversely, to the extent that data centers are now looked at more skeptically, could this become just another case of Southwest Virginia being used as a “sacrifice zone”?

Note that many of these sites don’t have existing transmission lines nearby. However, the state’s list does include the Lonesome Pine Business and Technology Park in Wise County, which already hosts the Mineral Gap data center.

The former Radford Foundry

This is an intriguing location. Radford’s fiscal difficulties began when the foundry closed. It was a big electrical user and Radford sells its own electricity. Foundries use a lot of electricity and a lot of water; how would a data center be different? In a bid to right its finances, the city has now approved tax increases three years in a row. Would residents find a data center at the old foundry site preferable to taxes going up? Everything is a choice so we can flip this around: Is not seeking data centers a fiscally prudent move for Radford?

Former industrial sites in almost city

The industrial age left many brownfield sites in almost every city. How many of those would be suitable for a data center? They likely already have the electric transmission infrastructure nearby. 

Some communities have already seen some interesting adaptations evolve over the years. The old White Mill in Danville is now housing; the former American Viscose plant in Roanoke is in the process of a long transformation into a mixed-used development known as Riverdale. Other communities haven’t been so lucky. Should they be looking at data centers for these sites? If they haven’t already, will this study encourage them to do so?

The Smith Gap landfill in Roanoke County

Granted, the landfill is still being used. However, this is a 94.5-acre site, so there might be some land available somewhere. If the site is out-of-the-way enough for trash disposal, is it out-of-the-way enough for a data center? 

The former Kim-Stan landfill in Alleghany County

Here’s a 30-acre site just outside Clifton Forge that’s now a Superfund cleanup site (those are a specific type of contaminated site). The reality is that lots of old landfill sites make the list. There are engineering issues in putting anything on a landfill site — you don’t want a data center swallowed up by a sinkhole full of garbage — but not every acre of a landfill was likely used for disposal. Again, I’m not recommending any of these sites; I’m just pointing out that they might qualify for further inquiry. There are lots of former landfills across the state; this is just one of the more infamous.

The former Central Virginia Training Center site in Amherst County

Amherst County hopes to see the site in Madison Heights, overlooking the James River and Lynchburg, turned into a mixed-use development. However, the 110-acre site does turn up on the brownfields list. Somebody may want to be prepared for the day when a data center company asks if part of this site is available, the master plan notwithstanding.

The idea that we could or should direct data centers to brownfields isn’t new; it’s been chattered around in the industry for a while now, and Michigan State University issued a study on the idea earlier this summer. The general view: Brownfields are more expensive to develop because of whatever was there previously (including some contamination). However, they often have much of the industrial infrastructure in place, including water lines and transmission lines. That could — key word, could — make them less controversial, depending on the nature of the site and what else is likely to go there. Or maybe data centers have become such a pariah that a data center anywhere will be controversial. We’ll see. 

Now, before anyone gets excited, one way or another, let’s remember some key things: The state doesn’t decide where data centers go. That’s between developers and local governments. The state can set rules to guide development here or there or nowhere, but the governor’s not the one picking what goes where. However, this study could focus attention on certain places that until now haven’t gotten much, namely Southwest Virginia and central cities.

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