Kentucky Governor Orders Transparency for Data Center Deals

Residents of Carroll County, Kentucky, are protesting a proposed 500-acre hyperscale data campus on Greens Bottom Road. The project, led by Poe Companies and Powerhouse Data Centers, would utilize 800 megawatts of power, but community members claim developers and officials have been opaque regarding water usage, energy demands, and actual job projections.

Tensions peaked following reports that the Mayor of Carrollton signed an unrecorded real estate option contract for 340 acres of public land in July 2025 after an executive session. This incident is part of a broader trend across Kentucky where non-disclosure agreements are used to shield data center projects from public view, including developments involving Panattoni Development Company and TeraWulf in cities like Burgin and Harrodsburg.

In response to the backlash, Governor Andy Beshear issued an executive order demanding that data center developers engage in public community discussions. Simultaneously, Senator Keturah Herron is planning to reintroduce legislation that would legally prohibit local officials from signing NDAs with data center developers. State Senator Gex Williams characterized the city's use of such agreements as a series of serious mistakes.