Some of the largest industrial projects ever proposed in the Eastern Panhandle are moving forward, and much of what governs them never reaches a public agenda.
This site collects what has actually been filed, recorded, or said on the record
about data center development in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties — and is
equally clear about what has not been disclosed. We are not here to tell you what
to think about data centers. We are here to provide objectiv that you are not finding out after the fact.
How to read this site
Every claim here carries one of three marks.
- Documented
- Drawn from ... The source is linked.
- Not disclosed
- A question we put to the public record and could not answer. The absence is the finding.
- Estimated
- Our calculation from published figures. Method and assumptions are shown so you can check them.
What is known
Documented
Penzance
Placeholder. acreage, county, certifying body, dates, what the certification
does and does not do
Source: [document name, agency, date]
Documented
QTS
Placeholder. acreage, county, certifying body, dates, contrast to HB2014 (QTS predates)
Source: [document name, agency, date]
What is not known
These are not gaps in our research. Each one is a question we put to the public
record and could not answer. Where we asked an agency or a company directly and
received no response, we say so and give the date. -- WORK ON WORDING
Not disclosed
Full build-out water demand.
Placeholder. what is missing, which filing would normally hold it, why the public can't access it
Not disclosed
Placeholder — second undisclosed item.
Placeholder.
What can reasonably be estimated
Where a figure has not been disclosed, it can sometimes be estimated from figures
that have been. Every estimate below shows its inputs and its method. If our
arithmetic is wrong, we want to hear about it.
Estimated
Annual electricity demand at full build-out.
Placeholder figure.
How this was calculated
Placeholder: Methodology
Estimated
Placeholder — water estimate.
Placeholder figure.
How this was calculated
Method goes here.
Where To Go Next
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What Is A Data Center
Explaining what type of data centers are proposed here. And how AI training facilities differ from the servers behind everyday internet use.
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Privacy and surveillance
Explaining the capabilities of these technologies; what the facilities process, who uses it, and what the government and corporations are building with AI data
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Myths and Talking Points
Taking common talking points and breaking them down into what is factual, and what is false.
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Law and process
HB 2014 and other WV laws in regards to data centers, county zoning, and the sequence of notice and public comment to date.
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Statewide overview
What these projects add up to across West Virginia, and the other communities tracking them.
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Interactive map
Project sites alongside historic, protected, and public lands.