An independent company has received state approval to build a 750-MW natural gas fired electrical plant in Loudoun County, Virginia. The plant is expected to help fuel Northern Virginia's many energy hog data centers.
Virginia regulators have approved construction of Panda Power's proposed 750-MW Stonewall natural gas-fired plant to be located south of Leesburg.
The project was strategically sited in one of the fastest-growing counties in the US, Panda said. The region is home to the Dulles Technology Corridor, a national hub for data storage, defense and technology companies. Dominion, the utility serving the region, said recently that demand from the facilities is expected to reach 1,000 MW annually in 2017.
The project would reduce Virginia's reliance on imported power to fill the gap between in-state production and load growth, Panda said.