(The Center Square) – Pittsylvania County leaders have rejected a proposal for what would have been Virginia’s largest natural gas power plant after a Harvard-backed report warned it could drive up health care costs by more than $625 million by 2040.
The Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 on April 15 to deny Balico LLC’s rezoning request for 763 acres to build a 3,500-megawatt gas plant and data center campus.
The vote followed a lengthy public hearing after the board rejected Balico’s request to withdraw its application and resubmit it later. Under county rules, the company is now barred from submitting a substantially similar proposal for 12 months.
Balico’s revised application reduced the project’s size from 2,200 acres to 763, but it kept the same gas plant and proposed fewer data centers. Board Chairman Robert Tucker said the project’s scale, emissions, and lack of transparency made it unacceptable to the community.
The company promoted the project as a major economic opportunity, estimating it could generate up to $184 million in annual tax revenue. However, board members and residents questioned the environmental tradeoffs and said the company hadn’t clearly explained how those numbers would be achieved.
A report released days before the vote by Harvard’s Data Science Initiative and the Southern Environmental Law Center warned the plant would emit over 326.53 tons of fine particulate matter annually. The pollution, known as PM2.5, is linked to heart attacks, cancer, and premature death.
The report estimated that more than 17,500 Pittsylvania County residents would be exposed to harmful pollution levels. It also projected the plant could drive up healthcare costs by $31 million annually, totaling more than $625 million by 2040.
“Our citizens expect the Board to act in their best interest and that is what we did by denying Balico’s plan,” said Board Chairman Robert Tucker. He cited the proposed layout, emissions, and a lack of clear communication from the company as key reasons for the denial.
Supervisor Tim Dudley of the Staunton River District cast the lone vote in favor of the project.
The board’s decision followed two previous delays and a packed public hearing at Chatham High School, where residents spoke out against the project.
In an email to the county, Balico’s attorney said the company still plans to purchase the land and may pursue development options that don’t require rezoning. These could include by-right uses or special permits allowed under Pittsylvania’s current zoning ordinance.
The controversy in Pittsylvania comes amid growing scrutiny of how data centers affect nearby communities across Virginia.
A recent JLARC report found that many centers are being built near residential neighborhoods, raising alarms over air quality, water use, noise and industrial infrastructure. Residents told researchers the constant hum of equipment disrupted sleep and daily life, and reported physical symptoms like migraines and stress.
