Plain English Breakdown
The candidate explanation included details about electric utilities providing information that were supported by the bill but were slightly expanded upon. These have been narrowed down to match the exact wording and scope from the official source material.
Data Center Site Assessment Law
This law requires that before a new high energy use facility like a data center can get approval for building in an area, the company must do a site assessment to check how it will affect nearby homes and schools.
What This Bill Does
- Defines 'high energy use facility' (HEUF) as any new facility that needs at least 100 megawatts of electricity from an electric utility.
- Requires a site assessment for sound profile on residential units and schools within 500 feet before approving rezoning, special exceptions, or special use permits for new HEUFs.
- Allows localities to require assessments on ground and surface water resources, agricultural land, parks, historic sites, and forestland near the proposed facility.
- Requires electric utilities to provide information about substations and transmission voltage needed for the new HEUF.
Who It Names or Affects
- Localities approving rezoning, special exceptions, or special use permits for data centers or other high energy use facilities.
- Companies planning to build new high energy use facilities in Virginia.
Terms To Know
- High Energy Use Facility (HEUF)
- A facility that needs at least 100 megawatts of electricity from an electric utility.
- Site Assessment
- An evaluation done to check the impact a new high energy use facility will have on nearby areas, including sound profile and environmental resources.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law does not apply if there is already an existing legislative or administrative approval for expansion of an approved facility that doesn't exceed an additional 100 megawatts.
- Localities can still use their zoning authority as usual, and this new law does not limit it.