Data centers in Appomattox County, Virginia: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Appomattox County supervisors voted in September 2026 on a $3 billion data center they had no power to stop. In December 2024 the county Economic Development Authority agreed to sell Avaio Digital a 452-acre site in the county industrial park, off U.S. 460 and Virginia 26 just north of the town of Appomattox, for about $4.5 million. The parcel had sat vacant since the county bought the park about 25 years ago. Because data centers were allowed by right there, the project needed no special permit, public hearing or board approval. Avaio calls it "Project Hercules" and plans six data centers drawing 300 megawatts from Central Virginia Electric Cooperative and Dominion Energy, energized in 2027; it has several data centers in development but none operating. EDA chairman Garet Bosiger said the county of about 15,000 had never recovered from Thomasville Furniture's closure in 2011: "Appomattox needed a shot in the arm."

Residents heard about it mostly after the fact. The EDA's first public information session, in March 2026, came more than a year after the announcement; nearly 100 people attended, and several said the format left no room to speak. Dennis Bradner, who lives near the site, said the animosity was "because nobody explained anything." Opponents raised electricity costs, water, noise and air pollution. On Sept. 21 the supervisors approved a performance agreement giving Avaio annual payments based on the tax revenue the project generates, with Supervisor Trevor Hipps the only vote against. Chairman John Hinkle said the board had no authority to stop the project; Supervisor Nathan Simpson, credited with making the first introductions, pointed to project job postings paying $150,000 and $210,000. What happens next: the state Department of Environmental Quality's decision on an air permit for the site's backup generators, due by mid-December after a public comment period that opened Sept. 11. In the region, Campbell and Amherst counties and Lynchburg have changed their zoning to require more approvals for data centers, the News & Advance reported.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.