Public data · Free to use
Virginia Data Center Power Rules: Large-Load Tariffs and State Law
How Virginia’s utilities and lawmakers handle data-center-sized power requests: 2 utilities, compiled from public filings, with a source on every entry.
Last checked October 22, 2026All states
Utilities
Virginia utilities and their large-load rules.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
TN, AL, MS, KY, GA, NC, VA · Non-RTO Southeast
ApprovedAug 2026Data center rate class with capacity commitment charge
TVA's board created a wholesale data center rate class, effective October 1, 2026, with a capacity commitment charge for new loads above 5 MW.
- Applies to: New or expanding data centers above 5 MW
- Capacity commitment charge of about $1.5 million per MW, paid over three to five years
- About 10% average bill impact, phased in over three fiscal years
- TVA board approval needed above 100 MW
- TVA reviews local power company contracts above 5 MW
Sources: WSMV, TVA approves 10% rate spike for data centers to protect household rate payers (2026); 256 Today, TVA board approves higher power rates for data centers (2026); Yahoo News, TVA keeps an eye on data center proposals (n.d.)
Dominion Energy Virginia
VA · PJM · Dominion Energy
ApprovedNov 2025Rate Schedule GS-5 (large-load rate class)
Virginia regulators created a separate rate class for Dominion customers of 25 MW or more, with 14-year minimum payment commitments starting in 2027.
- Applies to: 25 MW or more of demand
- 14-year contract commitment
- Pays at least 85% of contracted transmission and distribution demand
- Pays at least 60% of contracted generation demand
- Early-termination fees
- Takes effect January 1, 2027
Sources: Loudoun Now, SCC Approves New Data Center Rate Class for Dominion (2025); Virginia Mercury, SCC approves Chesterfield gas plant and Dominion rate hike, creates new rate class for data centers (2025); Virginia Mercury, SCC orders Dominion to develop tariff to assign more transmission costs to data centers (2026); Data Center Dynamics, Dominion files large load connection queue plan with state regulators (2026)
What this can and can’t tell you
The rules are public. Whether your site can get power isn’t.
Anyone could pull these filings; we compile them so they’re easy to find. Terms change often, so confirm them with the utility or the commission docket before relying on them.
Going deeper: Data Center Site Selection in Virginia: Power, GS-5, Zoning and Tax Rules
This tracker · Public, free
- A utility’s published rules for large new loads
- The same answer for every site in that utility’s territory
- What the terms are if power is available
- Compiled from filings anyone can read
A BlackForge report · Site-specific
- Whether a specific parcel can actually be served, and roughly when
- Substation headroom and the realistic connection path
- Gas, water, fiber, buildable land and zoning, checked together
- Built and refreshed for your load, your timeline and your parcels
Cite this tracker
BlackForge Data Centers. "Virginia data center power rules," Large-Load Power Tracker. Last checked October 22, 2026. https://www.blackforgedatacenters.com/data-center-power-tracker/virginia
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit.
Need the answer for a specific site in Virginia?
Parcel-level screening and verification, built for your load and timeline.