The mayor of Russell, a town in Kentucky, received surprising news in June. A company from Barcelona expressed interest in creating a sizable two-gigawatt data center on the site of the former AK Steel plant. This information came through an email from a consultant.
The consultant highlighted a key issue. Russell had recently enacted a moratorium, which could impede the proposed construction. The project, estimated to cost between $8 billion and $12 billion, would consume over ten percent of Kentucky’s summer electricity supply.
The Kentucky Lantern, a news outlet based in Frankfort, disclosed this development in July, showcasing the potential impact on the local and regional energy landscape.