Virginia Company Proposes Data Center Between Davis, Thomas

By: Lydia Crawley The Parsons Advocate

Virginia based Fundamental Data has submitted preliminary applications to the State of West Virginia on a Data Center project near the Tucker County Landfill between Davis and Thomas. The move has surprised local and State lawmakers who have said they had no prior knowledge of the project before the application was submitted. “That one there caught me by surprise,” State Senate President and Lt. Governor Randy Smith said.

Preliminary plans released by local news outlets have reported the site is slated to run on natural gas with a backup diesel storage on site of 30 million gallons. Local environmental group Friends of the Blackwater has begun a campaign to stop a house bill targeted at Data Centers and Data Center expansion in the State.

Smith said that a there are several tech companies looking to West Virginia to locate data centers capable of producing their own power to be self sufficient. Scarce details on the project that are available have said that the center will not produce power for the main grid, only its own use. “There’s a lot of these data centers that are looking to West Virginia that has microgrids on them, they produce their own power,” Smith said.

Smith said he was notified when representatives from an environmental group went to his office over the application filing for the Center. According to Smith, part of the Center will be in Tucker County with the remainder to be located in Grant County. “This caught me by surprise, too,” Smith said. “I was notified I think it was Tuesday that someone from one of the environmental groups in the State came to my office and that is how I found out that they had filed for a permit to put one in Tucker and Grant Counties. Part of it will be in Tucker and part of it will be in Grant according to the permitting.”

There were two or three companies eyeing Tucker County for a Data Center, according to Smith. “I knew that was one of the areas, Tucker County was one of the areas they were looking at,” Smith said. “They had about 11 counties that two or three of these companies were looking at. So it didn’t take me by complete surprise because I knew that they were looking at different areas across the State.”

While Smith found out about the Center through visitors to his office, many local officials found out about it when their phones began ringing from the press. Tucker County Commission President Mike Rosenau said he only knows what has been released in the press about the project, as does Tucker County Commissioner Fred Davis. “I was surprised when they released the press release on it because I basically found our about it through the press,” Smith said.

Rosenau said that he found out about the Center through a phone call on Wednesday. The news took him by surprise. “Yesterday I got a call that said that a power plant company or a data center, one of the other, had put in a preliminary permit in Charleston for that area and wanted to know what I knew about it and I said I know nothing about it,” Rosenau said. “So it was all a surprise to me, too.”

Davis said that he only knows what he is hearing from others. According to Davis neither he, nor the Commission have been contacted by the company or any other entity about the project. “Say the truth, I don’t know nothing about it,” Davis said. “I got a phone call yesterday from another news reporter and I’m saying I’ve not heard nothing about it. I’ve been kept in the dark about it. I’m hearing about some kind of data center or something for power. That’s about all I know about it from hearsay. Any official from that company or anyone else, I’ve not heard from.”

Davis Mayor Al Tomson gave a written statement on the project. In his statement, Tomson proposed an alternative site for the project several miles from the current site. “A more suitable site exists just eight miles down the road at the Mettiki coal mine, away from residential areas. The current plan places the project less than a mile from homes in Davis, raising serious concerns about its impact on residents and the environment,” Tomson wrote.

Tomson also stated that he supports economic development in Tucker County, but is concerned over the current site due to ecological impacts the Center may have. “I support economic development in Tucker County and recognize the potential benefits this project could bring, including job opportunities and much-needed tax revenue. However, its current proposed location poses significant risks to local communities, threatens our pristine natural resources, and jeopardizes our delicate water supply,” Tomson wrote.

Tomson closed his comments with an urging for an open dialogue with the local community and community leaders. “Community input is essential, yet this project has moved forward without it. It’s time for an open dialogue—let’s work together to find a responsible solution that benefits Tucker County without compromising our natural and community assets,” Tomson wrote.

The facility is expected to begin operations in 2027 or 2028.

The Parsons Advocate reached out the Fundamental Data for comment on the project, but have not received a response by press time.