Data Centre Capital of the World Faces Backlash in Virginia

Loudoun County, Virginia, home to about 250 data centres handling an estimated 70 per cent of global internet traffic, has voted to draft a 12-month pause on new data centre applications amid resident complaints about noise, health issues, and environmental impacts. The board of supervisors supported the moratorium at a public meeting on Tuesday night, with a final vote expected next month. The county’s data centre boom, driven by tax incentives and by-right planning permissions, has generated $US1.2 billion annually in tax revenue, funding services and cutting property taxes for a decade. However, residents report unbearable noise from gas turbines at an off-grid Vantage facility, including high-pitched whistles audible over TVs and lawnmowers, plus respiratory illnesses they attribute to diesel generators. Vantage says it has implemented noise mitigation measures and complies with local ordinances, but the facility may not connect to the power grid until 2040 Similar backlash is spreading across the US, with counties in Maryland, Kentucky, and elsewhere enacting bans or moratoriums, while a recent poll found just 11 per cent of Americans support local data centre construction. President Donald Trump has defended the industry, calling anxiety about AI a “hoax” benefiting China, while county supervisor Juli Briskman advises Australia to be strategic about data centre placement, considering environmental and infrastructure impacts