UVA Fontaine Data Center
Albemarle County, VA
UVA Fontaine Data Center is a planned data center in Albemarle County, VA, with University of Virginia named as the developer. Reported capacity is 4.5 MW. UVA's Board of Visitors approved a $30M expansion on June 5, 2026 to its Fontaine Data Center (originally named the Research Data Center) at Fontaine Research Park, growing the planned 53,000 sq ft, three-floor facility's total cost to $102M (from $72M approved June 2025). It will be commissioned at 4.5 MW with capacity to grow to 17 MW without major renovation; expected to go to bid late 2026 with construction complete in early 2029, after which UVA will decommission one existing data center.
- 4.5 MWPlanned capacity
Project status
- Announced
- Permitting
- Under constructionNot yet
- OperationalNot yet
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Community sentiment
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What’s next
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7:00 AM · VA
Albemarle County: Board Of Supervisors7:00 AM · VA
Albemarle County: Board Of Supervisors7:00 AM · VA
Albemarle County: Board Of Supervisors
Latest news
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Stories about it, and about Albemarle County, VA, land here.
Records and documentation
Virginia state legislation
- Virginia SCC Case No. PUR-2025-00058 - Dominion Energy Virginia 2025 Biennial Review (GS-5 rate class)Final order issued Nov 2025 -- created a new GS-5 rate class for customers ≥25MW (mostly data centers), effective Jan 2027, requiring 14-year contracts and minimum-take provisions.Download
- Virginia SCC Case No. PUR-2025-00057 - Appalachian Power Large Power Service Tariff RevisionFiled March 2025; final order approving revised Schedule L.P.S. (14-year contracts, up to 4-year ramp) issued June 2026 -- APCo's counterpart to Dominion's GS-5 case.Download
- Virginia SCC Case No. PUR-2024-00032 - Dominion Aspen-Golden Transmission Project (Loudoun County)New 500/230kV substations serving Loudoun County's "Data Center Alley." SCC approved Feb 2025; Virginia Supreme Court affirmed Feb 2026.Download
- HB153 - Data centers; site assessment, sound profile on residential units and schools within 500 feetRequires site assessment and sound-profile review for data centers near residential units and schools within 500 feet.Download
- HB706 - Minimum requirements for data center customersImposes minimum requirements on data center customers in the state.Download
- HB3565 - Income tax credits for data centers in opportunity zonesProvides income tax credits for data centers located in opportunity zones or owned by minority, women, or disabled businesses.Download
- H1517 - Approval of Data Center FacilitiesGoverns the approval process for data center facilities.Download
- SB 94Virginia bill requiring noise and community site assessments for data center facilities of 100+ MW.Download
- H1002 - Rate Payer Protection Act (Data Center Planning Commission)Creates a Data Center Planning Commission as part of ratepayer protection measures.Download
- HB559 - High-technology data center equipment tax exemption sunset revisionRevises the sunset date for sales/use tax exemption on certain high-technology data center equipment.Download
- HB 507Virginia bill imposing a Tier-4-equivalent emissions standard on data center backup generators.Download
- SB336 - SCC evaluation of generator tier requirements for data centersDirects the State Corporation Commission to evaluate requiring data centers to limit Tier 2 generators in favor of Tier 4 equivalents.Download
- Data Centers Zoning Amendment ZO 112.1-2024-9 & ZO 112.2-2024-8Fairfax County zoning amendment requiring special use permits for data centers, enacted September 10, 2024.Download
- Phase 2 Data Center Standards & LocationsLoudoun County Phase 2 zoning amendment on data center standards and locations, in progress since September 16, 2025.Download
- Phase 1 Comprehensive Plan & Zoning Amendment (CPAM-2024-0001 & ZOAM-2024-0001)Loudoun County Phase 1 data center siting standards, enacted March 18, 2025.Download
- Virginia SCC Case No. PUR-2024-00144 - Ex Parte: Electric Utilities and Data Center Load GrowthCommissioner-led technical conferences (Dec 2024, Dec 2025) on frameworks for serving hyperscale/large-load customers, cost allocation, and co-located generation -- fed directly into the GS-5 and Rider T-1 decisions.Download
- Virginia SCC Case No. PUR-2026-00056 - Dominion Rider T-1 Transmission Cost AllocationSCC ruled July 2026 Dominion must develop a mandatory contribution-in-aid-of-construction tariff shifting transmission costs onto data centers. Named intervenors: Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Stack Infrastructure.Download
- Virginia SCC Case No. PUR-2026-00044 - Appalachian Power 2026 Biennial ReviewFiled May 2026, hearing Oct 2026. APCo testimony describes 36 potential large-load customers seeking ~25,000MW combined. Named tenants: Google (Botetourt County), Stack Infrastructure (Pittsylvania County), TAC Data Centers and Fluidstack/Solis Arx (Wythe County).Download
- Virginia SCC Case No. PUR-2024-00184 - Dominion 2024 IRP Supplement (Data Center Load Growth)SCC ordered Oct 2024 supplement requiring Dominion to identify which transmission projects are primarily driven by data-center load growth; forecasts ~9GW peak demand growth within 10 years.Download
- HB1132 - Data center tax revenue; creates local residential renewable energy incentive program.Description comingDownload
- HB503 - Electric utilities; cost recovery, costs substantially related to serving data center customers.Description comingDownload
- SB553 - Certain data from water users; water use consumption for domestic, etc., purposes, data centers.Description comingDownload
- SB466 - Electric utilities; cost recovery, costs substantially related to serving data center customers.Description comingDownload
- HB511 - Data centers; industrial zoning.Description comingDownload
- SB552 - Siting of large data centers; site assessment, standards, civil penalties.Description comingDownload
- SB130 - Data centers; site assessment, definition of high energy use facility.Description comingDownload
- HB496 - Certain data from water users; water use consumption for domestic, etc., purposes, data centers.Description comingDownload
- HB784 - RS and UT; commercial and industrial exemptions, disclosure of data center operator exemption.Description comingDownload
- HB897 - Retail Sales and Use Tax; exemption for data centers, delayed effective date.Description comingDownload
- HB591 - Data centers; policy of the Commonwealth.Description comingDownload
- HB1515 - Local approval of data centers; temporary moratorium.Description comingDownload
Site details
- Operator
- University of Virginia
- County
- Albemarle County, VA
- Capacity
- 4.5 MW
- Address
- Albemarle County, VA
- Stage
- Planned
Size: not on file
Map
Photos
https://www.fm.virginia.edu/images/photos/fpc/fontaine/FRDC-aerial_1400x600.jpg
RenderingImage via pilotonline.com
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Amazon explains shift in position on future data center developments in Northern Va.WTOP
Data center moratorium bills stack up ahead of Virginia legislative session in JanuaryWTOP
Google cited for sediment runoff at Virginia data center siteNorfolk Virginian-Pilot
Va. governor rolls out new data center regulations: ‘Highest standards in America’WTOP
Virginia tightens data center restrictions amid political backlashReuters
An $8 billion Treasury break helped Meta’s tax rate hit 2%. Senators want data center tax answersFortune
The states with the fewest and most data centers, rankedBusiness Insider
Finns Are Seething After Google Illegally Toppled 250,000 Trees for a Data CenterMother Jones
Google offer to pay others to help data center powerArkansas Online
This bill would make data centers pay their own way for powerSalt Lake City Deseret News
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