Part of the debate over data centers is about how they are powered.
Natural gas is a nonrenewable resource – a fossil fuel that is concerning to environmentalists. That's why many were cheering Governor Abigail Spanberger's recent executive order on data centers, which limits how much natural gas energy production can happen on site at a data center.
"What the governor is doing is saying if you're going to provide your own power, it can't be pollution intensive, considering a lot of these data centers are nearby schools and neighborhoods," says
Tim Cywinski at the Sierra Club. "So, it's a preventative measure to make sure that the thing that is causing all of our electric bills to go up doesn't also have a greater impact on public health. It's a step in the right direction, but we'd prefer if it was no natural gas on site at all."
Stephen Haner at the Jefferson Forum says natural gas is the most efficient form of energy, and it's already in widespread use at data centers.
"Virginia has been permitting natural gas facilities at data centers for decades," Haner says. "There are thousands of natural gas generators. I think I saw 10,200 natural gas generators at data centers, 26 gigawatts worth of generation at data centers already approved. So, to suddenly change course on this will be a big deal."
The debate over natural gas at data centers comes at a time when state regulators are considering whether to approve new natural gas plants, potentially expanding the use of fossil fuels for decades into the future.
