NEWS ALERT: Fairfax County’s first fuel cell data center proposed in Chantilly

T5 Data Centers wants to build a facility that would convert natural gas into electricity

A new data center has been proposed in Chantilly that would rely on fuel cell technology to convert natural gas into electricity rather than drawing primarily from the power grid.

T5 Data Centers will seek a special exception to build a 312,000-square-foot data center on a roughly 19-acre site at the intersection of Stonecroft Boulevard and Lee Road in the Westfields International Center at Dulles, according to a letter filed with the county from Allison Reynolds, a land use attorney representing T5.

“To date, Fairfax County has not evaluated a data center or other facility proposing to use on-site fuel cells to address its energy needs,” Reynolds wrote.

The letter asks the county to clarify whether the proposed fuel cells are allowed under the site’s current zoning as an I-3, Light Intensity Industrial District.

The data center would get its electricity primarily from the fuel cells, with additional power from the electrical grid during “higher load periods” along with diesel generators as a backup power source.

Fuel cells have long been used for smaller-scale projects but have only recently become efficient enough to power data centers, the letter says. According to a Goldman Sachs research report, fuel cells convert natural gas into electricity without combustion, meaning less pollution than gas turbines. They are also less noisy.

The fuel cells would be located in a screened, outdoor fuel cell yard, the letter says.

County property records identify the owner of the site as an LLC registered in Delaware called TAG Land Westfield.

T5 has built data centers in Charlotte, Dallas, Chicago, and other major cities.