Caroline County, Virginia
DataCentersExposed tracks 12 AI data centers in Caroline County, Virginia — 0 operating and 12 in the pipeline, drawing 300 MW of reported power demand.
Sources: Methodology, Coverage scorecard
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated May 29, 2026
What's happening in Caroline County
Facilities here with disclosed capacity draw 300 MW from the local grid. Data-center load on this scale is the single biggest driver of recent capacity-market price increases — costs that flow through to every ratepayer in the service territory, not just the operators.
Below: every tracked facility in the county, the active state legislation that names it or its county, and local news. Commissioner vote records arrive in a later release; the placeholders show where that accountability data will land.
2035 Buildout Outlook
Under the model's moderate-growth scenario (5%/yr annual load growth), PNNL's IM3 model sites about 2 standardized 36 MW campuses in Caroline County by 2035 — roughly 72 MW of new electricity demand and ~70 M gal/yr of cooling water. Under the higher-growth scenario (15%/yr) that climbs to 7 campuses (252 MW). For scale, we currently track 12 real data centers in Caroline County (300 MW of reported power).
- High growth272 MW · ~70 M gal/yr cooling water
- Higher growth7252 MW · ~244 M gal/yr cooling water
The model assigns ~100% of these campuses' cooling to evaporative water cooling in Caroline County (the rest to mechanical/air cooling), a split it derives from local water stress and wet-bulb temperature.
These are modeled candidate sites, not announced or permitted facilities. PNNL's IM3 model places identical 36 MW unit-campuses at feasible locations under each scenario — it shows where demand could concentrate, never a specific parcel. Figures use a market-gravity weight of 50. How the model works.
Every tracked facility
| Facility | Operator | Status | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADP Ladysmith Data Hub Ruther Glen | — | Proposed | — |
| Airlee Industrial and Data Center Site Ruther Glen | — | Proposed | — |
| Bull Church Data Center | — | Proposed | — |
| Carmel Church Data Hub Ruther Glen | W & F PARTNERS | Proposed | — |
| Carmel Technology & Enterprise Center Ruther Glen | — | Proposed | — |
| Caroline Center for Innovation Ruther Glen | — | Proposed | — |
| Caroline Center for Innovation - North Ruther Glen | — | Proposed | — |
| Ladysmith Technology Park | — | Proposed | — |
| Thornberry Data Center Campus Ruther Glen | — | Proposed | — |
| VALCO Data Center Park Ruther Glen | — | Proposed | — |
| VALCO Data Center Park Ruther Glen | VALCO CAROLINE COUNTY | Proposed | — |
| CleanArc Data Center (VA1) Ruther Glen | CleanArc | Under construction | 300 |
County commissioners
How the Caroline County board votes on each data-center matter — the rezonings, the abatements, the water permits — is built from public-meeting minutes and roll-call records. Know of a vote we should be tracking? Tell us.