While Scioto County residents continue debating Google’s proposed Project Dazzler data center in Franklin Furnace, officials just across the Ohio River are making a similar case for a massive new data center project planned in eastern Kentucky.
Greenup County Judge-Executive Bobby Hall recently defended his decision to sign a non-disclosure agreement connected to a major data center project headed to the EastPark Industrial Center near Ashland and Grayson.
The project, known as the Muskie Data Campus, is being developed by TeraWulf and is expected to grow into a facility capable of supporting more than 1 gigawatt of data center operations over time.
Hall acknowledged that signing an NDA sparked criticism, but said the project was thoroughly researched over a period of nearly two years before local officials moved forward.
He said state leaders, economic development officials, local government leaders, and the EastPark board all reached the same conclusion.
Data centers are coming whether communities embrace them or not.
A Debate That Sounds Familiar
For anyone who has attended a Scioto County Commissioners meeting over the past year, Hall’s comments may sound familiar.
Like Scioto County Commissioner Scottie Powell, Hall argued that data centers have become a necessary part of modern life.
Every photo uploaded to the cloud, every Netflix movie streamed, every Google search, Facebook post, Amazon order, or online AI request depends on data centers somewhere in the country.
The question facing communities isn’t whether data centers will exist.
The question is where they will be built.
A Different Kind of Site
Hall drew a distinction between some controversial data center projects around the country and the location chosen in Greenup County.
Rather than placing a facility near neighborhoods or residential areas, the Kentucky project is planned inside the EastPark Industrial Center, a 1,000-acre industrial park created by five counties working together.
The site sits near existing industrial infrastructure and across from a landfill, which Hall described as a logical location for a large industrial development.
He argued that if developers weren’t allowed to build there, they would simply choose another county—or potentially develop farmland elsewhere.
“We reap nothing then,” Hall said.
Instead, he believes the project will create opportunities for local workers and union tradespeople who currently travel long distances for work.
Echoes of the Franklin Furnace Debate
The comments mirror many of the arguments made by supporters of Google’s proposed Franklin Furnace campus.
Union representatives have repeatedly told Scioto County Commissioners that thousands of local workers currently travel to Columbus, Cincinnati, and other parts of Ohio to work on data center projects.
Supporters say bringing those projects closer to home means workers can spend more evenings with their families instead of living out of hotels or commuting several hours each day.
Opponents, however, continue raising concerns about electricity demand, water usage, environmental impacts, and whether communities are receiving enough long-term benefits in exchange for hosting the facilities.
Another Massive Appalachian Project
The Kentucky project is substantial in its own right.
According to TeraWulf, the Muskie Data Campus will eventually support more than 1 gigawatt of data center capacity.
The company expects the first 500 megawatts to begin coming online in 2028, with another 500 megawatts planned by 2030.
Kentucky Power is already constructing major electrical infrastructure to support the project, including a new 345-kilovolt substation connected to the region’s high-voltage transmission network.
The site includes roughly 285 acres of development-ready property within the larger EastPark industrial complex.
TeraWulf says the project is expected to generate major construction activity, long-term skilled jobs, workforce training opportunities, infrastructure improvements, and additional tax revenue.
Appalachia Becoming a Data Center Region
Taken together, the projects in Greenup County, Pike County, and Scioto County suggest Appalachia is becoming an increasingly important destination for data center development.
A proposed Google campus remains in development in Franklin Furnace.
A massive 10-gigawatt technology and data center campus has been announced at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Piketon.
Now Greenup County is preparing for what could become one of the largest data center developments in eastern Kentucky.
Whether residents support or oppose the trend, one thing is becoming clear: data centers are no longer just a Columbus, Northern Virginia, or Silicon Valley issue.
They are becoming a major part of the economic development conversation right here in Southern Ohio and Eastern Kentucky.
The Bottom Line
The debate over data centers is often portrayed as a local issue, but developments on both sides of the Ohio River show a much larger trend. Communities throughout Appalachia are being asked the same question: if data centers are coming somewhere, should they come here—or somewhere else?
