Microsoft ordered nearly $3M fine for air pollution from Northern Virginia data center
ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — Virginia environmental officials ordered tech giant Microsoft on Monday to pay roughly $2.5 million after its Leesburg data center violated air quality standards during a week-long power grid outage in 2025, according to state documents.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) consent order is the largest civil penalty issued by the agency, but will still go through a public comment phase until Oct. 14 before it can be finalized, according to an agency spokesperson.
A Microsoft spokesperson said the company worked with the state toward a resolution and that it will support DEQ’s work to improve air-quality monitoring.
DEQ said Microsoft broke air pollution limits while running backup generators at it’s data center on 19515 Compass Creek Parkway during an power outage at the nearby Cochran Mill Electrical Substation between June 27 and July 1, 2025.
In August of that same year, DEQ told Microsoft that it exceeded its fuel throughput and emissions limitations on several air pollutants. Microsoft said how the calculated the emissions was not as accurate and that the company invested roughly $31 million to install a system to prevent a future extended outage.
“The facility’s permit limit for nitrogen oxides (NOx) is 94.67 tons, particulate matter (PM) is 3.34 tons, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is 6.86 tons, all on a rolling 365-day average,” a DEQ spokesperson said. “DEQ calculated that from October 4, 2024-October 3, 2025, the facility’s NOx, PM, and VOC emissions were approximately 102, 5.158, and 11.599 tons, respectively. Fuel throughput during this time period was approximately 1,190,000 gallons of fuel, with a permit limit of 665,850 gallons.”
Between Dec. 1, 2025 and July 28, 2026, both groups engaged in talks to find the actual emissions at the data center, but ultimately DEQ said the newer calculations still proved Microsoft release more pollution in the air than allowed by state law, according to DEQ documents.
Virginia is home to a large portion of data centers operating in the U.S. The facilities have become a flashpoint of critics who argue environment and noise pollution despite supporters who said the facilities are necessary to support growing technological needs nationwide.
Read Microsoft’s full statement below:
“Microsoft is committed to responsible datacenter development and operation in Virginia and around the world. During this event last June, we worked closely with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, providing regular updates on our response as we worked toward a resolution. As part of our continued commitment to the communities where we operate, Microsoft will support VDEQ’s expansion of air-quality monitoring in Northern Virginia, as they work to deliver additional data and insight into regional air quality.”