Residents of Goochland County, Virginia, voiced strong concerns at a public hearing over a proposed 900-megawatt data center campus slated for their community. Speakers raised issues around grid strain, noise, water consumption, and the scale of industrial development in what has been a largely rural county. The 900 MW figure places this project among the largest single-campus proposals in Virginia outside of Northern Virginia's established data center corridor.
A 900 MW campus would represent one of the largest data center developments in central Virginia, and organized community opposition at early public hearings can delay or reshape permitting outcomes. The case illustrates how data center buildout pressure is extending beyond established Northern Virginia clusters into smaller counties with less infrastructure and regulatory experience.
The 900 MW scale figure and named location Goochland triggered selection. Community opposition at a formal public hearing meets the Opposition category definition precisely. The story was not in the already-published list.