Data centers in Kentucky

8 data centers and projects on our map in Kentucky, including 5 projects we track in detail. Each one links to its source. Below: where they are by county, the projects in the news, and the latest reporting from both sides.

3existing and up and running 0under construction 3proposed 2blocked, paused or withdrawn

See Kentucky on the map. Existing facilities come from OpenStreetMap, a community-maintained public map that is incomplete; proposed, under construction and blocked projects are tracked one by one from news, filings and official records.

Projects in the news

Blocked, paused or withdrawn Plans withdrawn after opposition, followed by a county moratorium on data center applications

Oldham County Hyperscale Data Center

La Grange, Oldham County · Operator: Western Hospitality Partners

600 MW · $6 billion · announced 2025-03

A proposed two million square foot data center complex on 267 acres of farmland northeast of Louisville. The developer withdrew after community pushback, and the county paused new applications while it drafted data center zoning regulations.

Issues raised: zoning, opposition, power, water

Source: WHAS11 · On the map

Blocked, paused or withdrawn One year moratorium on new data center applications adopted unanimously, August 2026

Mercer County Data Center Moratorium

Harrodsburg, Mercer County

The Mercer County Fiscal Court passed a one year moratorium on applications to build new data centers in unincorporated parts of the county. The city of Burgin, which sits inside the county, delayed a related annexation vote.

Issues raised: zoning, power, opposition

Source: Louisville Public Media, 2026-08-12 · On the map

Proposed Announced 2026, construction not started

Paducah Data Center Campus

Paducah, McCracken County · Operator: Brookfield with NextEra Energy

1200 MW · announced 2026-08

A proposed 1.2 gigawatt data center campus in western Kentucky developed by Brookfield with NextEra Energy supplying power. Kentucky localities including Louisville, Oldham County and Mercer County have adopted moratoriums during the same period, making siting and power supply the central state questions.

Issues raised: power, transmission, jobs, tax-incentives

Source: Data Center Knowledge, 2026-08 · On the map

Proposed Development and community benefits agreement reviewed by Mason County Fiscal Court on October 6, 2026

Mason County Hyperscale Data Center Campus

Maysville, Mason County · Operator: Crisham LLC

396 MW

A Delaware limited liability company called Crisham LLC presented a development and community benefits agreement to the Mason County Fiscal Court for an initial 396 MW, roughly 700,000 square foot data center on about 2,900 acres near Maysville, with each subsequent phase projected to take about 24 months. The end user has been identified publicly only as a Fortune 100 company.

Issues raised: power, transparency, zoning, water, opposition

Source: Maysville Online, 2026-10-06 · On the map

Proposed Development plan approved March 2026, construction not started, citywide moratorium on further projects

Southwest Louisville Data Center

Louisville, Jefferson County

The Louisville planning commission approved revised plans for a data center near Shively after a contested hearing, with speakers citing pollution, water and electricity concerns in a neighborhood next to the Rubbertown industrial corridor. Metro Council later passed a six month moratorium on additional data centers.

Issues raised: air-pollution, water, power, opposition, zoning

Source: Louisville Public Media, 2026-03-05 · On the map

By county

Jefferson County 1 on the map
Southwest Louisville Data Center
Mason County 1 on the map
Mason County Hyperscale Data Center Campus
McCracken County 1 on the map
Paducah Data Center Campus
Mercer County 1 on the map
Mercer County Data Center Moratorium
Oldham County 1 on the map
Oldham County Hyperscale Data Center

Latest news from Kentucky

Supports the case against news October 12, 2026

Kentucky data center fights continue with Lexington extension, Mercer rejection and Carroll ethics probe

The Lantern summarized recent Kentucky activity: Lexington extended its data center construction pause, Mercer County rejected regulations that would have allowed a hyperscale site next to a coal plant, and the Carroll County ethics commission opened an investigation into council votes connected to a proposed 9.6 billion dollar campus near Carrollton. A state lawmaker said he is preparing data center legislation for the next session.

Kentucky Lantern Local opposition and consent Secret contracts and disclosure Siting, zoning and standards

Check it: Each item has its own status; the ethics investigation is a procedural step and does not establish wrongdoing by any official.

Supports the case against local October 9, 2026

Christian County, Kentucky planning committee moves to limit data centers to heavy industrial zones

The Christian County Planning Commission's Plan Review Committee voted unanimously to recommend barring data centers from light industrial districts and allowing them only in heavy industrial (I-2) zones. The vote is a recommendation; the full planning commission and local legislative bodies would still need to adopt the text amendment.

Kentucky New Era Siting, zoning and standards Noise, appearance and rural character

Check it: This was a committee recommendation, not a final zoning change; look for the full planning commission vote and whether Hopkinsville and Oak Grove follow suit.

Supports the case against local October 6, 2026

Lexington, Kentucky council sends data center zoning back to planners and advances moratorium extension

After a crowded public hearing, Lexington's Urban County Council sent proposed data center zoning rules back to the planning commission and moved to extend an existing moratorium through October 2027. Members favored a dedicated data center zoning category and new size and power caps. The current pause had been set to expire October 31.

LEX 18 Local opposition and consent Siting, zoning and standards Laws, bills and regulation

Check it: The extension and the new zoning category have not yet taken final effect. Watch what the planning commission actually recommends and whether the council keeps the size caps intact.

Cited by both sides policy October 4, 2026

Lexington, Kentucky council to hold public hearing on draft data center zoning rules

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council scheduled a special meeting on October 6 to take public comment on draft rules that would ban major data centers larger than 50,000 square feet across the county, cap minor facilities at 40,000 square feet and 25 megawatts, require 1,500 foot setbacks and limit noise to 30 decibels at property lines. The current moratorium expires October 31.

CivicLex Siting, zoning and standards Noise, appearance and rural character Laws, bills and regulation

Check it: This is a public hearing, not a final vote. Any ordinance would still need two readings before adoption and could be amended in response to industry or resident comments.

Supports the case against local September 30, 2026

Mercer County, Kentucky fiscal court unanimously rejects data center zoning near coal plant

The Mercer County Fiscal Court voted unanimously on September 30 against a proposed industrial technology district that would have allowed hyperscale data centers on farmland next to the E.W. Brown coal fired generating station. Officials cited concerns about effects on Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, a National Historic Landmark less than a mile from the proposed district, as well as horse farms and residential neighborhoods. The regulations were sent back to the planning commission and the countywide one year moratorium remains in place.

WEKU Siting, zoning and standards Local opposition and consent Noise, appearance and rural character

Check it: The vote blocked the zoning text, not a specific project, and the proposed developer may seek annexation into the nearby city of Burgin as an alternate path.

Supports the case against local September 30, 2026

Georgetown, Kentucky council directs legal counsel to draft data center ban ordinance

The Georgetown City Council voted unanimously to have the city attorney draft an ordinance banning data centers and defining what counts as a hyperscale facility. Councilmember Karen Tingle-Sames said the city lacks water, land, and infrastructure for one. Mayor Burney Jenkins said the aim is to target mega facilities without affecting smaller operations and to prepare for possible legal challenges. Any ban would also need Planning and Zoning Commission approval.

WKYT Water use Local opposition and consent Siting, zoning and standards

Check it: Scott County already has a county moratorium in place; the Georgetown ordinance is still in drafting and must also clear the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Supports the case against local September 28, 2026

Ethics complaints target Carroll County officials with LG&E-KU ties over Kentucky data center land deal

Residents filed ethics complaints with the Carroll County Ethics Commission alleging council members who voted to authorize a secret land deal for a proposed 800 megawatt Poe Companies and PowerHouse Data Centers project had conflicts because they or immediate family work for Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities. Financial disclosures cited include a current LG&E-KU employee, a retired employee with a KU pension, a member with a son at KU, and a member whose spouse was hired there after the vote.

Louisville Public Media Secret contracts and disclosure Local opposition and consent

Check it: The commission is only beginning the process, and having a family member at a utility is not, by itself, an ethics violation, only a factor for whether recusal was required.

Supports the case against local September 25, 2026

Scott County, Kentucky extends data center moratorium to March 2027

The Scott County Fiscal Court voted Thursday to extend a pause on data center applications through March 2027 while the Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission drafts permanent siting rules covering water use, power draw, and noise. Judge-Executive Joe Covington said the extension is meant to buy time for research rather than pursue an outright ban, and the draft under discussion would confine data centers to heavy industrial zones and require conditional use permits.

WKYT Local opposition and consent Siting, zoning and standards Water use

Check it: A moratorium is a pause on new applications, not a permanent ban, and existing projects are unaffected.

Weighing it up

For the arguments behind these fights, see the case for data centers, the case against, and the questions people ask, each answered from both sides.