The center would be served under a new renewable rate option called Schedule RF (renewable facility), which Dominion Energy Virginia plans to file with the Virginia State Corporation Commission later this month. Through Schedule RF, Facebook will support energy expected to come from solar power.
If approved, Schedule RF would allow Facebook and other large companies to offset their annual energy needs with clean, renewable energy delivered to the grid. The company expects this would bring broader economic benefits to all of Dominion Energy Virginia's 2.5 million customers and would ultimately lead to new business opportunities.
The project is expected to bring thousands of construction jobs to the region and more than 100 full-time operational jobs. Governor Terry McAuliffe met with company officials about the project on multiple occasions, most recently during his San Francisco Marketing Mission earlier this week.
The Governor stated, “"I am proud to welcome Facebook to Henrico County, and we look forward to a strong partnership. When an industry giant like Facebook selects Virginia for a major operation it's proof that our efforts to build an open and welcoming economy that works for everyone are paying off.
“Working with companies like Facebook and many others, we are advancing Virginia's position as a global leader in the technology economy and a world-class home to innovative companies of every size," he added.
The new data center will be comprised of two separate buildings and administrative space totaling nearly one million square feet. Dominion Energy Virginia plans to construct multiple solar facilities in the Commonwealth (sites still to be determined) to both meet Facebook's needs and benefit all of its customers.
“Facebook’s partnership with Virginia and this significant investment in Henrico County are great news for the region,” U.S Senator Mark Warner said. “This not only is a validation of the Commonwealth’s position as a leader in the tech economy. It also supports our investments in building a modern fiber and renewable energy infrastructure to maintain Virginia’s competitive edge for additional job creation and investment.”
Dominion Energy Virginia is actively growing the market for clean energy. Schedule RF will further support diversification of the company's generation portfolio.
"Facebook is the latest partner we have in the renewable energy arena," said Robert M. Blue, president and CEO of Dominion Energy's Power Delivery Group. "We remain ambitious and forward-thinking, and welcome any business or corporation to come to Virginia and see what we have to offer."
For information: Dominion
