A data center power figure becomes more useful when the project team has to show where it came from. Loudoun County, Virginia, has announced additional documentation for large facilities seeking legislative land use approval, bringing utility discussions and site impacts into the same application process.

The county's October 23 announcement says the requirements apply to current and future legislative applications. It excludes by-right administrative approvals and notes that new data center applications have needed a special exception since March 2025. That makes this relevant to teams preparing new projects as well as those managing pending cases.

The fresh development is the county's implementation announcement. The underlying Virginia legislation was passed earlier in 2026.

What the documentation establishes

Under Virginia Code § 15.2-2209.5 , a high energy use facility is one expected, at application filing, to require at least 100 MW from a retail electric utility.…