Google to Invest $9B in Three Chesterfield Data Center Campuses
TL;DR: Google announced a $9 billion investment in three data center campuses spanning 1,500 acres across Chesterfield County, representing one of the largest corporate infrastructure projects in Virginia's history.
Quick facts
- Who: Google; Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
- What: Three data center campuses (Projects Peanut, Skye, Loch) totaling 1,500 acres
- When: Announced August 27, 2025; investment through end of 2026
- Where: Chesterfield County, Virginia
The story
On August 27, 2025, Google announced a $9 billion investment in Virginia through the end of 2026, with three major data center campuses planned for Chesterfield County. The three projects, codenamed Peanut, Skye, and Loch, will collectively occupy 1,500 acres and represent one of the largest private infrastructure commitments in the region's recent history. Project Peanut, the first to move forward, is located at 2700 Bermuda Hundred Road near Meadowville Technology Park in Chester and consists of nearly 856,000 square feet of data center facilities across three buildings. Google acquired the 300-acre Project Peanut site in 2020 for $18.1 million and filed its formal site plan in November 2025. Construction is expected to begin by late 2025, with completion anticipated within 18 to 24 months.
Project Skye is planned for an 880-acre site on Watkins Center Parkway in Midlothian, slated to go online by 2028, while Project Loch will occupy approximately 340 acres on Moseley Road, west of Route 288 and south of Midlothian Turnpike. According to federal filings, Project Loch will impact nearly five acres of wetlands and 2,828 feet of stream channels, while Project Skye is expected to impact over 20 acres of wetlands and approximately 8,000 feet of streams. Google has redesigned portions of the campuses to minimize environmental impact and has filed applications with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Clean Water Act permits, proposing wetland restoration and preservation elsewhere to offset unavoidable impacts.
The investment is focused on cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Data centers currently operating in Virginia support 17,000 jobs and generate $2 billion in annual economic impact across the state. For Chesterfield, construction of Project Peanut alone typically requires 1,800 construction workers at any given time, with multiple buildings and campuses providing ongoing employment over several years. Additionally, the ecosystem surrounding data centers generates six to ten jobs for every direct data center position. Google has committed $50 million to train electricians and other skilled trade workers in Virginia and announced a separate $15 million Energy Impact Fund for the state. The company also announced that all Virginia-based college students now have free access to Google AI Pro plans and AI training for one year.
Project Peanut is strategically positioned to source electricity from a nearby 400 megawatt nuclear fusion power plant being developed by Commonwealth Fusion Systems, from which Google will purchase half the generated electricity. The announcement came after months of secrecy, as Google's ownership of the three properties had been shielded from the public under nondisclosure agreements with the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority. Some residents raised concerns about transparency in county decision-making, noting that the Board of Supervisors approved zoning for all three sites in prior public votes while concealing Google's involvement until the official August 2025 announcement.
Key players
- Google: Technology company making $9 billion investment
- Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors: County government approving projects
- Jim Ingle: Chair of Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
- Dr. Mark Miller: Midlothian District Supervisor, Vice Chair of Board
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems: Building 400 MW nuclear fusion power plant to supply Project Peanut
Key dates
- 2025-08-27: Google announced $9 billion Virginia investment with three Chesterfield data center projects
- 2025-11-09: Google filed formal site plan for Project Peanut
- 2025-12-31: Construction expected to begin on Project Peanut
- 2027-06-30: Project Peanut construction estimated to complete (18-24 month timeline)
- 2028-12-31: Project Skye targeted to go online
- 2026-12-31: Google's $9 billion investment commitment window closes
The case for
Google's $9 billion investment offers substantial economic benefits to Chesterfield County and the broader region. The project will generate thousands of construction jobs over multiple years and create permanent employment in data center operations, maintenance, and related fields. The ecosystem surrounding the facilities is projected to produce six to ten ancillary jobs for every direct data center position, multiplying the economic benefit across multiple sectors. The county gains tax revenue from the facilities and construction activity, while Google's $50 million workforce development commitment will train skilled trades workers who will find employment across Virginia's growing infrastructure sector. The deal also secures reliable, high-tech employment in the county and attracts related technology investment and supply-chain businesses.
The case against
The three data center campuses will consume 1,500 acres of land and trigger significant environmental impacts, including the permanent loss of over 20 acres of wetlands (at Project Skye alone) and impacts to thousands of feet of stream channels. These impacts require federal Clean Water Act permits and mitigation efforts that may not fully restore affected ecosystems. Additionally, data centers are energy-intensive facilities requiring substantial water and electricity, with Project Peanut alone consuming power from half of a planned 400 MW nuclear fusion facility. The lack of transparency in the approval process, with Google's ownership concealed from the public and county residents under nondisclosure agreements during the zoning votes, raised questions about democratic accountability in county land-use decisions. Residents and environmental advocates have expressed concern that the county prioritized rapid approval over public input and environmental scrutiny.
Why it matters: Google's three data center campuses represent a transformational infrastructure commitment for Chesterfield County, positioning the region as a global hub for artificial intelligence and cloud computing while generating thousands of jobs and substantial tax revenue over decades. However, the 1,500-acre investment will permanently alter the landscape and requires careful management of significant environmental impacts and land use alongside the economic benefits.
Places
- Bermuda Hundred Road
- Meadowville Technology Park
- Watkins Center Parkway
- Moseley Road
- Route 288
- Midlothian Turnpike
- Chester
- South Anna River watershed
Development timeline
- 2025-08-27Google announces $9 billion Virginia investment: Google announces $9 billion investment in Virginia data center infrastructure, including three Chesterfield County campuses (Projects Peanut, Skye, Loch) [[source]](https://www.vpm.org/news/2026-06-22/google-data-centers-chesterfield-peanut-skye-loch-schneider-timmons)
- 2025-08-28Chesterfield Board confirms Google investment: Chesterfield Board of Supervisors publicly confirms Google ownership and states the county has landed the 'Rolls-Royce of data center operators' [[source]](https://www.chesterfield.gov/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/6383)
- 2025-11-09Project Peanut site plan filed: Google files formal site plan for Project Peanut showing three 285,000-square-foot data center buildings [[source]](https://richmondbizsense.com/2025/11/11/google-files-plans-for-first-data-center-facilities-in-eastern-chesterfield/)
- 2026-05-19Army Corps reviews environmental permits: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers receives and reviews Clean Water Act permit applications for Projects Loch and Skye, estimating impacts of 20+ acres of wetlands and 8,000+ feet of streams [[source]](https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/05/19/google-data-center-chesterfield-army-corps-permit)
- 2026-06-11Google announces workforce and energy commitments: Google announces $50 million workforce development commitment and $15 million Energy Impact Fund for Virginia [[source]](https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/google-virginia-initiatives-june-11-2026)
Related links
- Chesterfield County Official News on Google Investment
- Google Official Blog on Virginia Investment
- Virginia Economic Development Partnership Press Release
Sources
- VPM News: Google's $9B bet on a trio of Chesterfield data center campuses
- Chesterfield County Official: In Google, Chesterfield landed the Rolls-Royce of data center operators
- Richmond BizSense: Chesterfield scores a Google trifecta
- Data Center Dynamics: Google to invest $9bn in Virginia data centers
- Axios Richmond: Google's second Chesterfield data center could impact wetlands
- Google Official Blog: How Google is investing in Virginia
- Federal News Network: Army Corps reviews Google data center proposal
- WRIC ABC 8News: Google files site plan for Project Peanut