Pawan Kumar
Data Center Legislation
Northern Virginia is one of the major marketplaces for Data Center Legislation in the world. But there are other dangers to the region’s image as the “data centre capital.”While Prince William County supervisors in Virginia voted in support of greater data center-friendly zoning, Fairfax County people opposed a data centre rezoning request. Not only are legislators paying attention, but they are also taking action.
WTOP News reports that Virginia Senator Chap Petersen sponsored a bill “requesting the Department of Energy to research the effects of data centre construction on Virginia’s environment, economy, energy supplies, and capacity to meet carbon-reduction targets.” Petersen also introduced a second bill stating that “the siting of a data centre shall only be permitted in areas where the Data Center Legislation will have a minimal impact on historic, agricultural, and cultural resources and will not be located within one mile of a national park, state park, or other historically significant site.” In addition, the law would mandate an evaluation of a data center’s impact on agricultural resources, carbon emissions, and water use prior to approval.
As reported by WTOP News, Virginia House Delegate Danica Roem introduced two similar bills: one that “would require electrical transmission lines to be built in the public interest” where a data centre would be adjacent to a National Battlefield Park or state forest, and another that “would require stormwater management techniques for data centres.”
New legislation may result in a slowdown.
These proposed restrictions could hinder the expansion of the Data Center Legislation. In its 2023 data centre forecasts, the Intelligence practise of the Uptime Institute warned that municipal opposition to new large data centres as well as increased carbon reduction and sustainability regulations could increase the pressure on the data centre industry.
Also Read: Sustainable Data Center and Technical Debt
In addition, such legislation could jeopardise possible investments, such as Amazon’s $35 billion expenditure on new data centres in Virginia by 2040. The expansion plan of data centre companies may be paused or rethought, or they may look to less common places that are more amenable to data centre building.
Caution: Cost and Delay Increases from New Data Center Legislation Laws
Restrictions on the construction of new data centres may also result in stricter regulatory requirements. Using information from the Uptime Institute’s report, Loudoun County in Virginia restricted the construction of new data centres to certain zones beginning in September 2022, requiring them to undergo stricter design approval and permitting processes, as well as higher sustainability standards, including noise mitigation.
Top story: Data Center Legislation: How New Laws Affect Industry Growth | Data Center Knowledge | News and analysis for the data center industry https://t.co/r3kCftJHht, see more https://t.co/AZOikMc2ef
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Meanwhile, Groton, Connecticut, has imposed a one-year ban on the construction of new data centres beginning in June 2022. Once the ban is lifted, stricter environmental and noise rules for new construction are anticipated.
According to the Uptime Institute, meeting more severe sustainability requirements will incur costs, such as energy-efficient cooling systems, engineering fees, structural improvements, and other capital expenses, consequently constraining the budgets of Data Center Legislation. Additional costs could potentially result in project delays or cancellations, significantly slowing the growth rate of the data centre market.
