Project Washington (Starwood Digital Ventures)

Timeline from the record

Newest first. Record entries come from the filings and reports the registry cites. Coverage entries are headlines from publisher feeds we monitor daily, linked to the outlet; last checked September 14, 2026.

1. July 2025

   Proposed
   Starwood Digital proposed 11-building, 1.2 GW hyperscale campus on 580 acres adjacent to former Delaware City Refinery land (Hamburg Road/River Road/Governor Lea Road). Source: Spotlight Delaware

Opposition and litigation at this site

Yes. Project Washington (Starwood Digital Ventures) in Delaware City, New Castle County, Delaware is or has been the subject of litigation over its siting, permitting, or operation. DNREC Secretary denied Coastal Zone Act permit February 4, 2026 citing 516 backup diesel generators and 2.5 million gallons of stored diesel as unprecedented heavy industrial use under Delaware's 1971 Coastal Zone Act.

How the community has taken it

Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: in litigation means the facility is or has been the subject of a lawsuit related to its siting, permitting, or operation.

DNREC Secretary denied Coastal Zone Act permit February 4, 2026 citing 516 backup diesel generators and 2.5 million gallons of stored diesel as unprecedented heavy industrial use under Delaware's 1971 Coastal Zone Act. Starwood appealed to Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board; hearing held March 24-26, 2026. Board UNANIMOUSLY UPHELD the denial March 26, 2026. Starwood expected to appeal to Delaware Superior Court and potentially Delaware Supreme Court; full resolution estimated 18 months to three years. First major CZA denial for a project of this scale in Delaware history. New Castle County legislators exploring new data center zoning category.

Source: Spotlight Delaware

Power and water

Primary supply from the PJM grid via Delmarva Power & Light's Red Lion substation. The project's 516 on-site diesel generators are emergency backup, not primary generation; no on-site gas generation is proposed.

Starwood states the campus would use about 12.7 million gallons of water per year at full build-out, with a one-time ~600,000-gallon fill for its closed-loop cooling system; the regulatory filing cited a broader range of roughly 9.9-20 million gallons/year, and reviewers questioned whether that is low for a 1.2 GW campus.

Notes on the record

Largest proposed data center in Delaware history. 11 two-story buildings, 5 substations, 1 switch station, 516 emergency diesel generators on 580 acres. CZA permit denied February 4, 2026; denial unanimously upheld by Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board March 26, 2026. Appeal to Delaware Superior Court anticipated. Delaware Building Trades Council exclusive union labor agreement in place. Original $9.7B investment figure removed, not confirmed in any cited source. Coordinates approximate for Delaware City area.

Other sites within 30 miles

Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.

• St. Georges Business Park & Lighthouse Farms · St. Georges · Parkway Gravel Inc.4 mi · Proposed · 300 MW · Contested
• STAR Campus Data Center & Cogeneration Plant (The Data Centers, LLC) · Newark · The Data Centers, LLC10 mi · Cancelled · Opposed
• White Clay Corporate Center Data Center Redevelopment · Newark · Shelbourne11 mi · Proposed · Contested

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