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Trump will name more conservative judges. He may even pick a majority of the Supreme Court; Both sides react as Missouri reverses near-total abortion ban Literacy initiative to implement 250 new early-education activations in PA.

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President Biden asks Americans to turn down the temperature, House Speaker Mike Johnson promises an aggressive first 100 day agenda and Democratic governors vow to push back on Trump's plan for mass deportations.

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Texas women travel some of the longest distances for abortion care, Californians the shortest, rural living comes with mixed blessings for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

Federal dollars provide boost to VA’s 'Data Center Alley'

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Thursday, August 22, 2024   

The Biden administration is enhancing the nation's power grid by funding several storage, resilience and transmission projects.

The money will affect 18 states, including a massive data center in Northern Virginia.

Vince Barnett, Industry Leader - Data Centers for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, said there is a lot of demand for power in the area. About 70% of the world's internet traffic flows through Loudoun County.

"We've got some of the best work talent across the nation," Barnett asserted. "We've got one of the strongest tech communities. We've got great utility partners, and on and on down the list. So all of that plays into this."

The region's tech sector is expected to keep growing. Amazon announced a $35 billion plan for new data centers in Northern Virginia last year. And the rise of remote work, streaming and artificial intelligence will require more computer servers, hardware and cooling fans. All that means data centers could need about 9% of the nation's electricity generation by 2030, about double what it consumes today.

The federal money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and invests in tech such as battery storage and power lines. One of the goals is to make power infrastructure more resilient against extreme weather events. Barnett pointed out it will also expand work opportunities and tax coffers in Virginia.

"Last year, 2023, data centers directly provided roughly 12,000 operational jobs," Barnett noted. "That's the data center jobs themselves, and another 14,000 construction jobs. That represents about $2.8 billion in operational and construction pay and benefits."

This round of money follows a $3.5 billion funding announcement last fall for the same federal program. Virginia data center projects have faced local opposition about noise and environmental concerns.


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