Powhatan County confirms user for $2.7 billion data center

POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Powhatan County officials have confirmed they've found a user for a $2.7 billion data center.

County officials told 8News that, although a user has been confirmed, the name of the user is not available at this time. The user will reportedly be coming to Powhatan "soon" to "meet the staff and introduce themselves."

The data center was approved in a three-to-two vote by the Board of Supervisors in October 2024. Officials say it will be a five-year building project across nearly 120 acres off Page Road, though county officials say there aren't any official dates set for construction to begin yet.

Supporters say the center could bring in up to 200 jobs and $17 million in taxes to the county by 2034. Some residents against the center shared their concerns back in October that the reward isn’t going to outweigh the risk of having such an expensive and big facility.

It’s unclear specifically what data will be stored there, but the county described it as a server hub for data processing and storage for streaming services and web hosting.