EdgeCore to invest $17B in Louisa County data center campus

Denver-based data center developer EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure has purchased 697 acres in Louisa County to build a 3.9 million-square-foot data center campus capable of supporting more than 1.1 gigawatts of power, a total expected investment of $17 billion, according to a Wednesday announcement.

According to EdgeCore, the campus will be developed in multiple phases over the course of several years, with size depending on customer demand. A construction start date has not yet been announced, and EdgeCore says it is not currently disclosing tenant information for the site, which is positioned to serve hyperscale clients.

“Virginia is the world capital for the infrastructure on which the internet and the entire global economy runs,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “From the spine of the internet running through Ashburn to the transatlantic cables that connect in Virginia Beach, the entire commonwealth is engaged in supporting the technology which runs the world. We are proud to welcome EdgeCore to Central Virginia where their $17 billion investment will create jobs and fund vital public resources.”

The company says it will spend the $17 billion in several areas: site preparation and utility infrastructure, construction of data centers, operations and maintenance, taxes, job creation, workforce development and philanthropic initiatives in the region.

EdgeCore purchased the land for $42 million, according to a Tuesday announcement by the county. Louisa officials plan to use surplus funds from the property sale to pay off county debt early. The company notes that the site is already zoned for data center use, and it is working with the county on standard permitting and development processes.

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and its affiliate, Hyperscale Energy Services, will power the campus to be built at the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park. EdgeCore builds data centers for single hyperscale tenants, but Wednesday’s announcement does not say whether the company has a tenant secured.

EdgeCore has data centers under construction in Ashburn and Culpeper in Virginia, as well as California’s Silicon Valley and the Phoenix and Reno areas in Arizona and Nevada.

With the development, EdgeCore plans to use a close-looped air-cooled system, which requires less water than data centers typically require.

Louisa bought the land for the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park, which is located off Interstate 64, in 2018 for $2.6 million. The next year it was zoned for several technology-based uses, including data center development, according to Louisa.

“The use of future annual revenues from the development itself will be significant and is under consideration by the board of supervisors,” the county’s announcement stated.

“EdgeCore’s development enables the property’s usage in a manner that minimizes traffic on Shannon Hill Road, conserves water and generates significant and ongoing revenues which will benefit our citizens,” Dustin Madison, chairman of the Louisa County Industrial Development Authority, said in a statement.

The announcement comes a day after Botetourt County announced Google’s $14 million parcel purchase in an industrial park for data center development.

Virginia Business Associate Editor Beth JoJack contributed to this story.