Dominion Virginia Power Certifies Goochland Site As Latest Premier Data Center Location

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Dominion Virginia Power

Dec 13, 2013, 09:00 ET

RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 13, 2013  /PRNewswire/ --

  • Commonwealth ranks as one of the top locations for data centers in United States
  • Low industrial electric rates considered a major attraction
  • West Creek Business Park newest site to meet rigorous qualifications

Dominion Virginia Power has completed a study of a 119-acre site in eastern Goochland County and certified it as meeting all the requirements under the company's stringent Data Center Site Certification Program.

The site is in the West Creek Business Park off State Route 288 near Patterson Avenue (State Route 6).  A study by the Timmons Group determined the site has the appropriate space, topography and geology coupled with access to a robust fiber network, reliable electric service at competitive rates, large capacity water and sewer service and an excellent transportation network.  Risks from natural and man-made disasters were rated low.

"These factors, and especially highly reliable, low-cost electric service, are essential for companies in the process of siting and developing data centers," said Paul Koonce, chief operating officer of Dominion Virginia Power. "Virginia is one of the most active data center markets in the nation because we meet these requirements exceptionally well. In fact, there are already dozens of data centers in Virginia and 70 percent of the internet traffic in the U.S. runs through our backyard."

Dominion's Data Center Site Certification is a rigorous program (www.dom.com/business/data-center-services/index.jsp) reserved for sites in the company's service area with unique characteristics validated by an independent third-party partner, Timmons Group  

Sites already certified include:

Virginia is consistently ranked as one the top states in the nation for business development and expansion.  Data centers are among the most sought-after developments because they bring in high-tech businesses, provide excellent jobs and a solid tax base and put minimum stress on local infrastructure and the environment.

"Data centers are indeed a highly valuable asset for Virginia, and our corporate clients continue to grow and invest here due to favorable tax policies, ample fiber, reliable power, and competitive cost of doing business," said Martin Briley, president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. "We applaud our partners at Dominion for implementing this robust certification program accelerating marketability of this and other sites that, in turn, significantly enhances Virginia's competitiveness to attract additional data centers.  We look forward to working together to ensure Virginia remains at the top of the list of consideration for our data center clients."

Koonce echoed those comments and noted the company has a wealth of experience and an excellent reputation for working with data center companies.

"We have one of the most reliable transmission and distribution networks in the country and a balanced, growing mix of generation that is in the lowest third in the nation in terms of carbon intensity," Koonce said.  "We have earned an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our green power programs, and our industrial rates are about 35 percent below the national average. Also, a significant reduction in Dominion's fuel charge was just approved."

Sixty-five data centers occupying more than 6 million square feet already are located in Dominion's service area, many of them in Northern Virginia. The state also has the highest concentration of technology workers per capita in the nation.

"We get asked all the time why RagingWire came to Virginia," said Jim Leach, vice president of marketing for the California-based company in a recent issue of Site Selection Magazine. "First, the power is reliable, available and cost-competitive, thanks to our friends at Dominion Virginia Power. Second, the fiber and telecommunications are among the best in the world. Third, Virginia is one of the most pro-business states in the U.S..." 

Raging Wire is one of the top companies in the nation that designs, builds and operates data centers.

Dominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,500 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines.  Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.

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SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power

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