The Daily Dig:
PowerHouse has filed a federal permit application for Phase II of its PowerHouse95 data center campus in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The site sits south of Route 17 (Mills Drive) and east of Cosner Drive, near Cosner's Corner outside Fredericksburg. Phase II adds three data center buildings with supporting infrastructure.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Norfolk District is reviewing the application under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act due to impacts on wetlands and an intermittent stream. The full campus is expected to cover roughly 145 acres and is planned for up to seven multi-story buildings, with total capacity at up to 300MW and 1.75 million square feet. PowerHouse has indicated the site could eventually reach 900MW.
Project Snapshot:
Applicant: PowerHouse95, LLC
Related company (per DCD): PowerHouse (AREP-owned data center developer)
Location: Spotsylvania County, Virginia (south of Route 17/Mills Drive, east of Cosner Drive)
Action: Section 404 Clean Water Act permit application - NAO-2021-03032-TREC
Phase II scope: Three data center buildings with access roads, utilities, and stormwater infrastructure
Environmental impacts under review: 1.49 acres PEM wetlands, 0.84 acres PFO wetlands, and 693 linear feet (0.03 acre) of intermittent stream
Status / timeline: USACE public notice published January 28, 2026; public notice expiration date February 27, 2026
TheJobWalk Thoughts:
Large data center campuses move in phases, often while most contractors aren't watching. For civil, utility, and electrical subs, the Corps filing shows where the early complexity lives, wetland limits, access routes, stormwater sequencing, and the power backbone that dictates everything downstream. Phase II permits don't turn into bid packages overnight, but they confirm the owner is serious and the work isn't stopping. If you're tracking Northern Virginia spillover markets, pay attention to which campuses are stacking phases instead of going quiet, that's where the repeat work actually shows up.
