Virginia residents demand transparency over Stack data center project
In Danville, Virginia, some residents and local groups are demanding greater transparency regarding a proposed data center campus in the Berry Hill industrial zone. Stack Infrastructure has announced plans to invest $100 billion in the project and create 2,500 jobs over 30 years, South China Morning Post reports.
The campus could occupy nearly 3,000 acres of land. Residents questioning the project cite its potential environmental impact, substantial electricity needs, and an opaque decision-making process.
Non-disclosure agreements
In March, it became known that SAC III, which shares an address with Stack, would purchase land in Berry Hill. At the time, officials did not explain what the plot would be used for, citing non-disclosure agreements. A month later, they confirmed that Stack planned to build a hyperscale data center.
The Pittsylvania County Coalition for Protection said companies may use such agreements to avoid disclosing information to the public until projects become difficult to stop. An online petition calling for broader community involvement has collected about 900 signatures.
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Claims about China
In June, Vic Ingram, chairman of the Danville-Pittsylvania County Regional Industrial Facility Authority, told a local newspaper that much of the online criticism of data centers was allegedly “propaganda” from “communist China.” He referred to a June OpenAI report on influence operations.
However, the OpenAI report referred only to accounts likely originating from China that attempted to influence public opinion in the United States. The document said there was no evidence that such attempts had been successful. Danville City Manager Ken Larking, who supports the project, said he was unaware of Chinese influence on the local opposition.
The project is of particular importance to a region that has faced economic difficulties since the closure of the Dan River Mills textile plant in 2006. At the same time, the land sale agreement provides for payments totaling about $737.8 million in several installments, while Stack retains the right to withdraw from the project.
