(Chalk Level) — Developers who pulled a proposal for a massive power plant and data center complex in Chalk Level earlier this month have submitted plans for a much smaller power plant and fewer data centers.
Balico, LLC late last week submitted a rezoning application for 760 acres in the same area. The original plan was over 22-hundred acres. It still includes a 35-hundred megawatt gas-fired power plant that’s connected to the nearby Mountain Valley Pipeline. But instead of 84 data centers this one will only house a dozen.
The original plan was pulled after a sharp unified response from the public and a promise of no support from the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors. The new proposal includes eight ofturbines to power the data centers.
Just last week, the county approved a permit for it’s first data center. Anchorstone will build that on nearly a thousand acres on the south side of Route 58, just east of the Danville City Limits.
Jeff Brasfield, Director of Balico, LLC, says this new proposal would result in 300 high-paying jobs. That’s less than half the original proposal.
“As Microsoft’s data center projects in Mecklenburg County demonstrate, this proposal offers tremendous benefits to all corners of Pittsylvania County,” Brasfield said in a statement issued to the media Sunday. “It will generate millions of dollars annually for education, public safety, and recreation throughout the County, all without relying on property owners to foot the bill.
Robert Tucker represents the Banister District, where the project would be built. He remains skeptical, but wants to give Balico a fair hearing. “This Board has the final say. But at the same time, we don’t want to be known across the country as a county that rejects people’s applications outright before they even have a chance to go through the process,” Tucker said.
Brasfield says they’re reaching out to local leaders to answer questions and address concerns about the project. “We appreciate the continued support of local business and community leaders for our vision for the Balico Technology Campus,” Brasfield said. “They recognize the transformative economic impact that this project will have on the region.
The Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors on the rezoning request. Any use permits would have to eventually be approved by the County’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
“In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing more details for this project with the media and the community, particularly our future neighbors,” Brasfield added. “Our team remains committed to engaging with residents to answer their questions and further refine our proposal so that any perceived disruptions to their quality of life and land are minimized, if not eliminated altogether.”
