Project Details

Site

The project site consists of vacant land historically used for equipment storage and construction laydown supporting coal and gas power plant operations. It sits within an established heavy industrial and utility complex that includes transmission infrastructure, substations, energy facilities, and waste-to-energy operations.

Surrounding uses include:

  • FirstEnergy transmission lines

  • Pepco substations

  • Rockland Capital combustion turbine power plant

  • Montgomery County waste-to-energy and composting facilities

  • The former GenOn ash site

This is an established industrial location with existing infrastructure designed to support energy production and utility-scale uses.

Energy & Electrical Infrastructure

Power will be supplied via existing FirstEnergy transmission lines that border the site. Atmosphere will:

  • Construct a new on-site substation and switchyard

  • Fund the substation construction at its expense

  • Connect directly to adjacent transmission infrastructure

No new off-site transmission corridors are required.

Backup Power

The campus will include diesel generators for emergency use and required periodic testing only. These generators:

  • Are not used for primary operations

  • Are subject to Maryland Department of the Environment air-quality permitting

  • May include Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) to reduce emissions

Fuel storage and handling systems must meet strict state requirements for spill prevention, containment, and monitoring.

Campus Program

The proposed Dickerson Data Center Campus includes:

  • Five data center buildings

  • Accessory administrative buildings

  • Electrical infrastructure buildings

  • Storage facilities

  • On-site water treatment and wastewater treatment buildings

  • Surface parking areas

  • 24/7 secured operations

At full build-out, up to 250 employees may work on site across three 8-hour shifts, with no more than approximately 85 employees present at one time.

Water & Environmental Compliance

Domestic Water

  • Supplied by an existing on-site well

  • Usage reallocated among existing wells

  • No net increase in groundwater use

Cooling Water

  • Sourced from the Potomac River

  • Maximum daily withdrawal is approximately 900 times less than the former coal-fired power plant

  • Reuses existing intake infrastructure to avoid riverbank disturbance

  • Discharge temperatures will align with ambient air conditions

All withdrawal and discharge permits have been submitted to the Maryland Department of the Environment and are subject to state oversight.

Forest Conservation

The project complies with Montgomery County’s Forest Conservation Law. Approximately 500 acres of Terra Energy-owned agricultural land are proposed for permanent forest conservation easement.

Zoning & Approvals

  • Zoning: Heavy Industrial (IH)

  • Use: Data centers permitted as a Conditional Use

  • Prior Approval: Conditional Use approved in November and December 2024 for a data center campus on approximately 110 acres

  • Current Application: Conditional Use application including site plan, landscaping, forest conservation, and stormwater management

An adjacent Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project is proceeding separately through the County’s mandatory referral process.