Report from Harvard Data Science Initiative and Dominici Lab warns of serious health impacts and associated costs from Balico, LLC’s proposed gas plant in Pittsylvania County, Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Researchers from the lab of Dr. Francesca Dominici, Chair of the Harvard Data Science Initiative and Professor in the School of Public Health, have prepared a report assessing some of the health impacts and associated costs of a 3,500-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant that developer Balico LLC has proposed in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. The proposed plant would power a co-located, sprawling data center campus and, if constructed, would be the largest gas plant in Virginia.  

The report observes that the proposed plant would emit fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a particularly serious form of air pollution. Public health experts agree that no level of PM2.5 exposure is safe. The most serious health impacts occur when PM2.5 levels in an area exceed 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter for prolonged periods of time. Prolonged exposure at this level can be expected to cause severe impacts, including increased hospitalizations due to heart attack, pneumonia, cardiovascular issues or, in some cases, stroke or cancer. 

The report conservatively estimates that the proposed gas plant would emit at least 326.53 tons of PM2.5 per year. The brunt of those emissions would be felt in Pittsylvania County, followed by Virginia’s Halifax and Mecklenbug Counties. Within Pittsylvania County, more than 17,500 people would be exposed to levels of PM2.5 associated with the most severe health impacts. The researchers also conservatively estimate that the gas plant could result in $31M in healthcare costs annually and more than $625M cumulatively by 2040. 

The power plant is being put forward as part of a rezoning proposal by Balico which includes 12 hyperscale data centers. The application for rezoning is scheduled for consideration before the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, April 15.