Dominion Energy is expanding its Possum Point Power Station in Prince William County, Virginia, to meet the growing power demand of the data center sector.
Dominion will add another 44MW to the 645MW natural gas facility, located near the town of Dumfries. According to Dominion, the new capacity will be provided through modernized gas and steam turbines.
The power station was built in 1948, but several generation sections have been shuttered over recent years. Two of its coal-fired units were shut down in 2003, and two others, which were converted from coal to gas in 2003, were also closed in 2019. A fifth unit that burned low-sulfur oil was shut down in 2021.
The station now operates a single unit comprised of two natural gas-powered combustion turbines and a hot exhaust that powers a steam turbine.
Dominion intends to upgrade the entire unit, adding 20MW of gas turbine capacity and 14MW via the steam turbine. The steam turbine will also be modernized, adding another 10MW of capacity, totaling 44MW.
The energy demands of data centers have necessitated utilities to focus on an all-of-the-above approach to generation, which has driven a resurgence of natural gas as a crucial power source to meet demand.
Speaking with DCD, Aaron Ruby, director of Virginia & offshore wind media at Dominion, said: “Data centers continuously use a consistent, steady amount of power 24/7 365, so to reliably meet their needs, we need 24/7 365 reliable power. That's where nuclear fits in, that's where natural gas fits in, and the rest will be renewables.”
According to available data, Dominion Energy has 13 natural gas power plants operating across Virginia. In its 2024 Integrated Resource Plan, it said it plans to bring online 5.93GW of natural gas generation between 2030 and 2036.
Demand from the data center sector has also attracted major oil and gas companies, which have explicitly signaled their intent to develop generation for the sector.
Earlier this week, in partnership with Engine No. 1, Chevron announced plans to develop up to 4GW of natural gas generation to power data centers behind the meter.
In addition, late last year, ExxonMobil reported it was developing a 1.5GW natural gas power plant that will focus on the data center market.
In addition, several artificial intelligence-focused data center firms have secured behind-the-meter agreements with natural gas providers in microgrid systems. These agreements allow them to avoid grid connection and transmission infrastructure issues that have stifled new power generation projects.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the first Stargate data center in Abilene, Texas, would be developed alongside a 360.5MW natural gas power plant that will directly feed the data center.
