Facebook Invests $1 Billion in Virginia

HENRICO COUNTY, VA — Facebook keeps expanding its footprint in the United States. Next stop: Virginia.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced Thursday that Facebook will build its next data center in Henrico County, which is just outside Richmond.

Facebook plans to invest $1 billion in the state in all. The company is putting $750 million into construction and $250 million to multiple solar facilities that will power the data center, McAuliffe said.

“Working with companies like Facebook and many others, we are advancing Virginia’s position as a global leader in the technology economy,” McAuliffe said at an event announcing the decision.

The investment is expected to create 100 full-time jobs.

Facebook will receive about $19 million in state tax exemptions through 2035, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

Facebook already has data centers in Oregon, North Carolina and Iowa. Centers in Fort Worth, Texas; Los Lunas, New Mexico; and New Albany, Ohio are currently under construction.

“One of the many important factors in our search for a new data center location is being able to source clean and renewable energy. We also look for great partnerships within the local community, robust infrastructure … and a strong pool of local talent,” Rachel Peterson, Facebook’s director of data center strategy, said in a statement.

Facebook hit 2 billion monthly users in June.