HOPEWELL — A vacant ethanol plant on the city’s industrial waterfront has drawn renewed attention as a possible site for Hopewell’s first data center, a development that could turn decades of industrial idleness into technology infrastructure.
Smaller-scale data center proposed for former Green Plains site
Maryland-based Volterra Advisors told local media it completed a case study with Hopewell officials and the property owner that identified the shuttered Green Plains ethanol plant at 701 6th Ave. as a candidate for a compact data center. The proposed facility is estimated at roughly 50,000 to 70,000 square feet and expected to draw about 20 megawatts of electrical power, significantly smaller than the major hyperscale campuses elsewhere in Virginia.
“There’s potential to re-use the natural gas lines,”
Volterra founder Jeramy Utara said, noting that data centers often incorporate natural gas power into their operations and that the site’s previous use as an ethanol plant may make that reuse feasible.
Site history and recent activity
The Green Plains ethanol facility closed in 2018 and has remained vacant since. The 55-acre parcel was purchased about four months ago by NS Development Partners, which has already leased roughly seven acres to an unnamed manufacturing tenant, according to reporting. The plant once produced about 60 million gallons of biofuels per year before it shut down amid weak market conditions.
Where this fits into Virginia’s data-center landscape
Virginia has become a national hub for data centers, a trend that brings both economic benefit and community debate. A 2024 state study found data-center activity generates billions annually in revenue for the commonwealth. Still, concerns about local impacts — including land use, energy demand and tax incentives — have accompanied new projects across the state.
The Hopewell proposal would be modest in scale compared with other recent builds: for context, the three Google campuses under construction in nearby Chesterfield County are expected to total roughly 285,000 square feet and require between 200 and 300 megawatts when fully built out. The Volterra estimate for Hopewell, at about 20 megawatts, would be a fraction of that size.
| Project | Estimated Size | Estimated Power |
|---|---|---|
| Proposed Hopewell data center | 50,000–70,000 sq. ft. | ~20 MW |
| Google campuses (Chesterfield County) | ~285,000 sq. ft. | 200–300 MW |
- Potential advantage: existing natural gas lines from the ethanol plant might be repurposed.
- Current ownership: NS Development Partners bought the 55-acre site recently and has leased part to a manufacturer.
- City comment: Hopewell officials had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
Officials with Volterra, the property owner and the city conducted the case study together, according to reporting. The information released so far describes potential technical fit and site advantages but does not constitute approvals, contracts or timelines for redevelopment.
As communities across Virginia weigh the opportunities and trade-offs of data-center growth, the Hopewell site illustrates a common dynamic: reuse of brownfield industrial land for digital infrastructure could bring jobs and investment, yet local governments and residents often need to reconcile energy use, tax policy and land-use priorities.
For now, the concept remains a studied possibility rather than a concrete plan. Additional steps — including formal proposals, local review and any required permitting — would be necessary before construction could begin.
Reporting on this development is ongoing. News Block will follow updates from city officials, the site owner and Volterra Advisors as more details emerge.
