Franklin County, Virginia
DataCentersExposed tracks 1 AI data center in Franklin County, Virginia — 0 operating and 1 in the pipeline, led by Alphabet Inc..
Sources: Methodology, Coverage scorecard
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated May 29, 2026
What's happening in Franklin County
Alphabet Inc. has the largest presence in Franklin County. We resolve project codenames and shell LLCs back to the corporate parent wherever the public record allows, so the table below names who is actually behind each site.
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 Franklin County by 2035 — roughly 72 MW of new electricity demand and ~70 M gal/yr of cooling water. For scale, we currently track 1 real data center in Franklin County.
- Higher growth272 MW · ~70 M gal/yr cooling water
The model assigns ~100% of these campuses' cooling to evaporative water cooling in Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Data Center: Summit View Business Park Rocky Mount | Alphabet Inc. | Proposed | — |
County commissioners
How the Franklin 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.