Virginia considers allowing data centers to use polluting diesel generators during planned power outages

A summer electrical fire in Loudoun County, Virginia exposed the environmental impact of data centers’ backup power systems when diesel generators kicked in, filling nearby air with fumes and noise that caught the attention of shoppers at a local Walmart. The incident has sparked a broader regulatory debate about when these polluting backup systems should be allowed to operate.

Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality is now proposing to expand the permissible use of diesel generators beyond true emergencies to include “planned outages” by utility companies, such as scheduled maintenance for power line upgrades. Currently, data centers can only fire up their backup generators during unexpected grid failures, but the proposed changes would give operators more flexibility to use diesel power during routine utility work.

Environmental advocates are raising concerns about the proposal, warning that expanded generator use would pump more harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gases into communities already dealing with the growing environmental footprint of data centers. The controversy highlights the tension between maintaining reliable digital infrastructure and protecting air quality as Virginia’s data center industry continues to boom.

The situation in Loudoun County, which hosts one of the world’s largest concentrations of data centers, illustrates how the digital economy’s hidden environmental costs can suddenly become very visible—and audible—to nearby residents when backup systems engage.