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Sen. Warner backs bill to curb data centers’ impacts on electricity prices

Published June 3, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated June 3, 2026 at 5:39PM

CoreSite’s Reston data center campus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is throwing support behind legislation intended to address the impacts of data centers on rising prices of electricity for Virginia residents.

The Power for the People Act, which Warner is co-sponsoring, aims to address cost and reliability issues associated with data centers’ power needs. The legislation directs states to look into new rate classes for data centers, seeks a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rule to ensure data centers are paying for infrastructure upgrades that would not be otherwise needed, and seeks to increase accountability in local electricity infrastructure.

Winter electric bill spikes spark scrutiny of Va. data centers’ power usage

By Emily Leayman

Published February 27, 2026 at 10:00AM | Updated February 27, 2026 at 2:53PM

CoreSite’s Reston data center campus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

High-than-usual electric bills in Virginia this winter have prompted discussion about the role data centers could play in driving up costs.

Dominion Energy, the commonwealth’s largest electric utility company, has said that new rates in 2026 and unusually cold weather could be responsible for many customers’ higher bills.

Gov. Spanberger targets utility bills, power demand amid data center boom in N. Va.

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published January 20, 2026 at 1:45PM

CoreSite’s Reston data center campus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Increasing power demand from a growing number of data centers, many located in Northern Virginia, has made rising utility costs a key issue for Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) in her first days in office.

In her first address to the Virginia General Assembly yesterday (Monday), Spanberger outlined her Affordable Virginia Agenda, a set of proposals addressing energy, health care and housing costs. Spanberger also issued an executive order on her first day in office that directs her cabinet members and agencies to identify policy changes that would reduce costs for Virginians in energy and other areas.