Northern Virginia Flagged 'AVOID' as Grid Constraint Score Hits 64.2 in DC Hub DCPI

## Northern Virginia Grid Strain Escalates

Northern Virginia, the world's densest concentration of hyperscale data centers, has been flagged **AVOID** in the DC Hub Data Center Power Index (DCPI) for May 25, 2026. The market's **constraint score of 64.2** now ranks second-highest among 300+ tracked markets nationwide, signaling acute transmission bottlenecks and interconnection delays that outweigh its modest 14.5 excess power availability.

The warning comes as Northern Virginia's PJM grid territory faces compounding pressures: aging transmission infrastructure, multi-year interconnection queues, and a generation retirement wave colliding with unprecedented AI-driven demand. With a constraint score nearly three times its excess score, the market presents the highest execution risk per megawatt of any Tier-1 colocation hub.

## Top BUILD Markets Present Clear Contrast

DC Hub's DCPI simultaneously highlights **Cheyenne, WY** (WECC) as the nation's top build opportunity, with a 69.5 excess power score and only 22.5 constraint — a 3:1 advantage ratio. **Rural SPP markets in Kansas** (67.2 excess, 22.5 constraint) and **Midlothian, TX** (ERCOT, 65.6 excess, 17.6 constraint) round out the top three, offering both surplus generation and low-friction interconnection paths.

Mount Pleasant, WI (MISO) carries the nation's highest constraint score at 80.0, followed by Northern Virginia at 64.2 and Phoenix (WECC) at 61.5.

## Methodology

The DCPI Constraint Index synthesizes transmission congestion data, interconnection queue depth, voltage stability, and regulatory friction across 300+ U.S. markets. Scores above 60 trigger AVOID flags; scores below 25 signal greenfield-ready environments.

**Source:** DC Hub Data Center Power Index (https://dchub.cloud/dcpi). Updated daily.

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