Boone County Data Center Quietly Approved, Drawing Criticism Over Secrecy
West Virginia's Department of Commerce approved certification for a large data center campus in Boone County without any public announcement, the Charleston Gazette-Mail disclosed on Nov. 7. In a Sept. 30 letter, the department issued a 'high-impact data center' certification to Houston energy-infrastructure developer LM Core Energy Services, responding to its Aug. 17 application. The project, code-named 'Project Country Roads,' is sited at 5151 Shaffer Road in Danville on the former Hobet mine site, covering about 3,557 acres with expected power demand of about 1.4 gigawatts; filings show a long-term plan of up to 10 gigawatts and 8,000 acres. The certification documents name Las Vegas AI infrastructure firm TensorWave as the expected tenant. Under House Bill 2014, pushed by the governor and passed by the legislature in March 2025, developers' letters of intent are confidential by law, so the public cannot learn of a project's existence, let alone appeal it. House Assistant Minority Leader Kayla Young objected: 'The public wants to appeal, but they don't even know the project exists — how can they appeal?' A Commerce Department spokesperson said economic development projects are confidential by law until final approval. LM Core CEO Jarrette Lewis said the company is 'exploring potential development' and that sharing details would be premature before they are finalized.
(Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail)
Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：西弗吉尼亚州议会大厦（查尔斯顿）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，授权见图页。 / Photo: West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston. Source: Wikimedia Commons (license on file page).
