Vantage VA2

Satellite image of Vantage VA2 in Sterling, VA. © Airbus DS (2026)

• Developer / Operator: Vantage Data Centers
• Location: 22318 Glenn Drive, Sterling, VA (Loudoun County)
• Total Power Capacity: 132 MW
• IT Capacity: 96 MW
• Grid Strategy: Fully off-grid today: behind-the-meter natural gas turbines as primary power, with diesel generators for backup. Planning to connect to grid in future.
• Status: Operational

Background

Vantage VA2 is the first data center in Virginia to operate entirely off the grid, generating all of its own power on site using natural gas turbines. The facility sits on an 18-acre campus in Sterling, in the heart of Loudoun County's "Data Center Alley," the world's largest concentration of data centers. Vantage acquired the land in October 2021 for $46 million across two adjacent parcels, and has invested more than $380 million in the project.

The decision to generate power on site was driven by grid constraints. Dominion Energy, Virginia's largest utility, is required by law to provide power to each customer, but a multi-year backlog of service requests means new data centers can wait up to seven years for a grid connection. Vantage is on Dominion's waitlist, and company officials have said the turbines are not intended as a long-term power source and will be replaced once utility power becomes available, though no timeline has been given.

Power Strategy

The site is located along an underground natural gas pipeline, which allows Vantage to fuel its turbines directly. The VA DEQ air permit, issued September 15, 2023, authorizes eight Solar SMT-130 simple-cycle combustion natural gas turbines (Titan 130 engines) at 16.5 MW each, totaling 132 MW. Each turbine is equipped with SoLoNOX low-emission burners and Braden SCR with DNX multi-pollutant catalyst systems for NOx and CO/VOC control. The permit also covers 40 emergency diesel generator sets (Caterpillar 3516E, 2,750 ekW each), two black start diesel generators, and nine previously permitted emergency diesel generators, for a total of 51 diesel units on site.

Unlike most data centers in Loudoun County, which use diesel generators only for occasional backup during grid outages, VA2's gas turbines run continuously as the primary power source.

Vantage has also been expanding its behind-the-meter generation strategy beyond VA2. In February 2025, the company announced a partnership with VoltaGrid to deploy more than 1 GW of behind-the-meter power capacity across its North American data center portfolio. More recently, Vantage signed a deal with Liberty Power Innovations (LPI) that includes a reservation of 400 MW of 2027 generation capacity, with the possibility of expansion to 1 GW and beyond.

Community and Regulatory Response

VA2 has become a flashpoint for the tensions between data center growth and community impact, particularly around noise and air quality.

Noise. Residents of the nearby Trailside homeowners association have described the constant turbine noise as "intolerable," reporting that it can be heard inside their homes at all hours. Loudoun County's noise ordinance sets a 55-decibel limit for industrial noise at residential property lines, and the county has received a dozen complaints in 2026 alone, but none have been determined to violate the ordinance. Residents and county officials have noted that the ordinance measures overall loudness (dBA) but does not account for the low-frequency tonal hums that turbines produce. County Supervisor Mike Turner has said the county is exploring changes to both the zoning and noise ordinances, including lowering the decibel threshold. The Trailside HOA is also reportedly considering legal action.

Air quality. In early 2026, the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) commissioned a study by the Harvard-affiliated EmPower Analytics Group that evaluated potential health impacts of PM2.5 emissions from VA2's turbines and diesel generators. The study found that emissions at permitted levels could result in $53 million to $99 million per year in health-related damages, primarily from premature mortality and respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Vantage has responded that the facility operates well below its permitted emission limits.

Regulatory changes. In March 2025, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved changes to the county's comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance, making data centers a conditional use requiring Special Exception approval in industrial districts where they had previously been allowed by-right. A second phase is underway to establish specific standards addressing aesthetics, environmental sustainability, noise, and proximity to residential areas, with potential adoption expected in late 2026. These changes were driven in part by the broader backlash around data center impacts that VA2 has helped catalyze.

Generation Equipment

• 8x Solar SMT-130 (Titan 130) simple-cycle gas turbines: 132 MW (primary power)
• 40x Caterpillar 3516E emergency diesel generators: ~110 MW
• 2x Caterpillar 3516E black start diesel generators
• 9x Caterpillar 3516E emergency diesel generators (previously permitted)

Timeline

• October 2021: Vantage acquires 18 acres at 22318 Glenn Drive for $46 million
• May 2022: Permit application submitted to VA DEQ
• December 2022: Begins permitting process in Loudoun County
• April 2023: Construction begins
• September 2023: VA DEQ issues air permit for turbines and generators
• February 2025: Vantage announces 1 GW+ VoltaGrid partnership
• March 2025: Loudoun County requires Special Exception approval for new data centers
• September 2025: Construction completed
• Early 2026: PEC/EmPower air quality study released
• April 2026: Noise complaints and regulatory scrutiny intensify