Overview
- Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22 on September 18 establishing a Data Center Accountability Framework and an AI Task Force and banning nondisclosure agreements tied to data center projects.
- The order requires local public approval for facilities that need more than 25 megawatts of power, ends by-right approvals for large builds, and accelerates reviews of noise and backup-generation operations.
- It presses operators to use renewable-backed backup power, limits on on-site natural gas generation, and targets to cut emissions from backup generators while offering faster grid access to projects that commit to clean energy.
- Many provisions take effect only after the Virginia General Assembly acts next year, but the order directs state agencies to begin rulemaking now and to provide model guidance for localities.
- The move follows a 2026 electricity-consumption tax and a State Corporation Commission ruling that shifted transmission upgrade costs to data centers, and it strengthens local control in places like Loudoun County where a 12-month pause on new builds remains in force.