Google Botetourt County Data Center Campus
Botetourt County, VADeveloper: Google
- Rumored
- Proposed
- Approved
- Under construction
- Operating
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Google plans a three-building data center campus on a 312-acre parcel inside the Botetourt Center at Greenfield, the only part of the County zoned for a data center. Peak electricity demand at the campus will be approximately 300 megawatts, and Google's water use is initially capped at 2 million gallons per day, though the first of the three buildings will be air-cooled. The County issued the grading plans and land disturbance permit in August 2026, and completion of the first data center structure is expected during calendar year 2028.
- Site size
- 312 acres[1]
Key facts
Size & schedule
| Planned capacity | 300 MW [9] approximate peak electricity demand Source excerpt“Google will have a peak electricity demand of approximately 300 megawatts, a figure that has not previously been made public.” |
|---|---|
| Site size | 312 acres [1]Source excerpt“June 24, the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors approved supporting the performance agreement which publicly announced Google's purchase of a 312-acre parcel of land.” |
| Floor area | 300,000 sq ft [6] about 300,000 square feet per building; three buildings proposed Source excerpt“Each of the three proposed data center buildings will cover about 300,000 square feet, along with three substations, an office building, access roads, utilities, parking areas and stormwater management facilities” |
| Buildings | 3 [3]Source excerpt“The incremental tax base for each of the three data centers in this campus is expected to yield at least $10 million in annual local taxation.” |
| Target completion | calendar year 2028 (first data center structure) [1]Source excerpt“The first Data Center structure is expected to be completed and fit for use and during calendar year 2028.” |
How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.
Power
| Utility | Appalachian Power [2] Utility pages: Appalachian Power · data centers and bills Source excerpt“Appalachian Power evaluated the electric system well in advance to ensure it could safely and reliably support a data center of this magnitude in Botetourt County.” |
|---|---|
| Power supply | Power purchase agreement for the full output (79.3 MW) of the Rocky Forge Wind project [3]Source excerpt“the full output (79.3 megawatts) of the Rocky Forge Wind project, Virginia's first utility-scale wind facility.” |
Water
| Water use | 2,000,000 gal/day [5] initial cap; Google may later request as much as 8 million gallons per day Source excerpt“Google is initially allowed to use no more than 2 million gallons of water per day, with the option to request up to 8 million gallons per day in the future” |
|---|---|
| Water source | Western Virginia Water Authority (new infrastructure at Google's expense) [10]Source excerpt“with Google, will enable the Authority to develop new, efficient and sustainable water infrastructure solutions, solely at the company's expense” |
| Cooling | air-cooling for the first of three buildings [5]Source excerpt“the first of three buildings will use air-cooling technology instead of water cooling” |
Money & incentives
| Payments / community benefits | $4 million to support County initiatives over five years [3]Source excerpt“$4 million to support County initiatives over the next five years” |
|---|
Local decisions & site
| Zoning | Data centers permitted in the Research and Advanced Manufacturing (RAM) zoning district [1]Source excerpt“voted to amend the County's zoning ordinance to permit data centers in the Research and Advanced Manufacturing (RAM) zoning district” |
|---|---|
| Parcel / address | Botetourt Center at Greenfield business park [1]Source excerpt“Located inside the Botetourt Center at Greenfield, which is a designated business park and the only area zoned for a data center in the County.” |
Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.
Water and power
Water
- up to 2,000,000 gallons per day [5]Permit, contract or approved limit. Initial limit; Google may later ask for up to 8 million gallons a day.As of Jul 23, 2026 · Google to use air-cooling at future Botetourt County data center
Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →
Community concerns
Concerns are listed as the cited public sources report them (meeting minutes, dockets, filed cases, official statements and news). They are raised, not validated, and a response is shown beside a concern only where a source reports one. All community concerns →
Water
- Opposition focused on potential use of millions of gallons of water per day; Google and the county said the first building would use air cooling.
Raised by: organization (Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance) · Sep 16, 2026 · Source: Cardinal News
Electricity rates
- Questions were raised about whether grid upgrades estimated at $264 million could affect other customers' bills.
Raised by: news report · Sep 16, 2026 · Source: Cardinal NewsResponse from Appalachian Power: The utility said other customers are not expected to pay more because the new load is expected to cover upgrade costs. Sep 16, 2026 · Source: Cardinal News
Electric bills and your utility →
Something missing or wrong? Ask for a review. Posts on social media are never used as sources.
Timeline
Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission amend zoning ordinance to permit data centers in the RAM district [1]
Board of Supervisors approves performance agreement; Google's purchase of a 312-acre parcel announced [1]
Western Virginia Water Authority board authorizes agreements including one with Google [10]
County receives first construction permit applications for grading [1]
Google announces air-cooled technology for the first data center building [1]
County issues grading plans and land disturbance permit [1]
Appalachian Power files application with the State Corporation Commission for grid upgrades to serve the campus [9]
Issues raised
- Residents have raised concerns about cost, tax revenue allocation and environmental impacts, including potential water use of millions of gallons per day [9]
- By contracted water use, the site would be Google's eighth-largest data center complex worldwide [7]
- Appalachian Power estimates $264 million in transmission and substation upgrades, which the county says will be paid for by Google [2][9]
- Contractors said grading would start after Labor Day 2026; federal and state environmental permits remained under review by other agencies [8]
- The Board of Supervisors and Economic Development Authority agreed to a 20-year performance agreement covering taxation of server equipment [4]
Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.
Sources
- Google Data CenterBotetourt County, VA · government
- Google Data Center • ElectricityBotetourt County, VA · government
- Google Advances Botetourt County Data Center Campus ProjectBotetourt County, VA · Mar 25, 2026 · government
- Google purchases land for potential data center in Botetourt CountyWDBJ7 · Jun 24, 2025 · news
- Google to use air-cooling at future Botetourt County data centerWDBJ7 · Jul 23, 2026 · news
- Google says it will break ground on Botetourt data center campus in coming monthsCardinal News · Mar 27, 2026 · news
- By water use, Google's Botetourt site would be its 8th largest data center complex in the worldCardinal News · Jul 9, 2026 · news
- Roanoke Valley Field Notes: Google gets permit to begin grading for Botetourt County data centerCardinal News · Sep 3, 2026 · news
- New details emerge about Botetourt grid upgrades for Google data centerCardinal News · Sep 16, 2026 · news
- Google Data Center in Botetourt Center at GreenfieldWestern Virginia Water Authority · Sep 10, 2025 · utility
Cite this page
Last updated Sep 23, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). Google Botetourt County Data Center Campus. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/google-botetourt-county-va |
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| MLA | “Google Botetourt County Data Center Campus.” Data Center Census, Sep 23, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/google-botetourt-county-va. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/dc/google-botetourt-county-va |
Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.