Data center profile · Watkins Centre Parkway and Otterdale Road, west of Route 288, Chesterfield County, Virginia

Google Project Loch (Watkins Centre South)

Google's planned three-building campus with three substations on about 221 acres in Chesterfield County, Virginia, rezoned in 2025 and awaiting a federal wetlands permit.

Rezoned, wetlands permit pending. Chesterfield supervisors approved the rezoning in May 2025 and a tax deal in June 2025, before Google was named in Aug. 2025. The federal wetlands permit drew notice in May 2026; no construction, MW figure or Dominion agreement on record.
3 data centers
with three substations, in the federal permit filing
plus equipment yards and a central operations hub
221.3 acres
project site in the state notice
Virginia DEQ, Mar. 2026
$0.24
per $100 of value, equipment tax rate locked by the county
10 years from occupancy plus two automatic 10-year renewals (press analysis)
Not published
campus power in MW
the 900 MW in utility filings belongs to Google's separate Skye project
OperatorGoogle (applicant in state and federal filings)
CustomerNone named beyond Google
First building in serviceOur estimate: 2029 or later (no dated power path yet).
Next stepArmy Corps decision on the wetlands permit (comments closed June 11, 2026; no decision date published)
Power

Power and the grid

Sources on record, size not disclosed

Getting on the grid

Permits

Permits checklist

2 pending · 2 granted · 1 checked, nothing on file

County, state and federal approvals on record, and where each stands.

Risks

What could slow it down

Money

Money on record

$0.24 per $100 equipment tax rate locked by the county (press analysis) (10 years from occupancy plus two automatic 10-year renewals, with a grant-back if the rate rises). News report · June 2025

Land assembly

1 recorded land document for the campus company in county records (July 2025); 1 lists a price. Parcel counts come from the deed; acreage is not recorded.

Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. May 28, 2025
    Permits County supervisors approve the rezoning at public hearings; the operator is not yet named News report · May 2025
  2. June 25, 2025
    Money Supervisors approve a fixed equipment-tax-rate agreement for the project News report · June 2025
  3. July 8, 2025
    Money Land purchase recorded at $10M: Woodville LLC to Aeris Investments LLC (1 parcel) County deed records · July 2025
  4. Aug. 27, 2025
    Paper trail Board minutes name Google as the company behind Project Loch News report · Aug. 2025
  5. March 9, 2026
    Permits State opens public comment on the project's coastal zone consistency review State agency · March 2026
  6. May 13, 2026
    Permits Army Corps issues public notice of Google's wetlands permit application State agency · May 2026
The buildings

Specs

3 buildings
with equipment yards, high-voltage feeds, substations and an operations hub (state notice)
State agency · March 2026
3.6 to 5 acres
wetlands affected: about 3.6 acres per the state notice, just under 5 acres plus 2,828 ft of streams per press
State agency · May 2026
Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Owner
  • Google LLC: applicant and developer
  • Aeris Investments: company named in county records for the project (press)
Government
  • Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors: rezoning and tax agreement
  • Virginia Department of Environmental Quality: consistency review
  • Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District: wetlands permit
Utility
  • Dominion Energy: area utility
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

27 records from 10 documents

Drawn from news reports, state agency records and public and commercial datasets, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.

News report 6State agency 3Dataset 1
Evidence

Every quote behind this page

Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.

Power (5)
  • Project status: ENTITLEMENTS APPROVED, FEDERAL/STATE WATER PERMITS IN REVIEW: rezoning approved by the Board of Supervisors in May 2025 and a fixed tax rate agreement approved June 25, 2025 (both while the Google identit
    “Google, LLC. Is proposing to construct three data centers, three substations, roads, utilities, and stormwater management facilities in Chesterfield County, Virginia.”
    State agency · May 2026 · grade A
  • Project identity: Project Loch: Google LLC data center campus along Watkins Centre Parkway and Otterdale Road, west of Route 288 in Chesterfield County, VA (Watkins Centre South); three data center buildings, equipment y
    “Google, LLC (the applicant) is proposing to construct a data center campus with auxiliary structures, called Project Loch, in Chesterfield County.”
    State agency · March 2026 · grade A
  • Permitted project footprint of approximately 221.3 acres with three data center buildings, substations and stormwater facilities per the DEQ notice
    “The applicant proposes to construct three data center buildings, associated equipment yards, high-voltage radial feeds, fire protection facilities, electrical substations, secured site entrances, a security guardhouse, central operations hub and stormwater management facilities on approximately 221.3 acres.”
    State agency · March 2026 · grade B
  • Google is identified as the applicant in the federal filing coverage; no requested load, substation capacity or Dominion Energy service agreement has been published for Loch. Three on-site substations are in the site pla
    “Google has filed to develop a data center campus outside Richmond, Virginia.”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • the 900 MW figure in Dominion filings belongs to Skye, not Loch
    “Located outside Richmond in Chesterfield County, site plans suggest three buildings and three on-site substations.”
    News report · March 2026 · grade C
Money and contracts (3)
  • Land purchase (recorded deed): contract value 10000000 USD
    “Recorded: July 8, 2025 · Price: $10,000,000 · Grantor: WOODVILLE LLC · Grantee: AERIS INVESTMENTS LLC · Parcel number: 718-70-38-95-900-000 · Address: 900 OTTERDALE RD · City: MIDLOTHIAN”
    County deed records · July 2025 · grade B
  • The Watkins Centre South parcel was acquired together with the Project Skye site in 2025; the two sites total more than 1,200 acres and were acquired for some $60 million (DCD, on the Peanut coverage)
    “total more than 1,200 acres and were acquired for some $60 million this year”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Tax rate lock agreement: data center equipment personal property tax rate lock 0.24 USD per $100 of assessed value
    “June 2025 agreements for Skye and Loch structured as 10 years from certificate of occupancy plus two automatic 10-year renewals tied to construction progress, a grant-back if the rate rises”
    News report · June 2025 · grade C
Permits and government (5)
  • Applicant Google, LLC; three data centers, three substations, roads, utilities a: Section 404 individual permit application - public notice issued; comment period to June 11, 2026
    “NAO-2026-00182 / VMRC# (Project Loch, Chesterfield County, Virginia) (Wauford PRM Site, Cumberland County, Virginia)”
    State agency · May 2026 · grade A
  • DEQ public notice for Project Loch: the project qualifies for an individual perm: Federal consistency certification review (Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program) - public comment period March 9 to April 6, 2026
    “the applicant submitted a federal consistency certification that certifies the project is consistent with the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program.”
    State agency · March 2026 · grade A
  • Project status: rezoned may 2025 federal and state permits pending no construction confirmed
    “Public comment period: March 9, 2026 to April 6, 2026”
    State agency · March 2026 · grade B
  • Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors:
    “Chesterfield approved a fixed tax rate agreement for Project Loch (Aeris)”
    News report · June 2025 · grade C
  • Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors:
    “Zoning changes for two of the projects were approved in public hearings by county supervisors on May 28, 2025.”
    News report · May 2025 · grade C
Site and other (1)
  • County code: 51041
    “The proposed project site is along Watkins Centre Parkway and Otterdale Road, west of Route 288.”
    State agency · March 2026 · grade A

Imagery and records: County deeds: ATTOM.