Officials with the City of Owensboro and several local and state leaders are attempting to clear up growing speculation surrounding a rumored data center project in Daviess County, saying there is currently no verified or active project under consideration.
In a formal statement released Monday, the City of Owensboro said it is aware of recent social media discussions, petitions, and some media coverage regarding the possibility of a data center locating in the community, but emphasized that no formal proposal has been presented.
“At this time, there are no active data center projects being considered by the City of Owensboro,” the statement said. “While there has been speculation and general industry interest in communities across the country, no formal proposal or project has been presented to the City for consideration.”
City officials said they understand concerns raised by residents regarding potential environmental and infrastructure impacts tied to some large-scale data center developments across the country.
“Like many in the community, City officials have researched some of the early data center developments across the United States and understand the challenges and negative impacts some communities have experienced,” the statement said.
The city also noted that while some newer facilities are utilizing evolving technologies aimed at reducing water usage and improving cooling efficiency, there are many factors to consider if a project were ever to be proposed.
“City leadership emphasizes that any future project consideration would need to be beneficial to the community and align with the long-term interests of Owensboro residents,” the statement said. “Officials involved in these decisions live in Owensboro, are raising families here, and would not support a project they believed would negatively impact their friends, families, and community.”
The statement added that the City would not incentivize a project believed to be harmful to the community, while also remaining open to economic development opportunities that benefit residents.
In interviews on Monday prior to the City releasing its statement, several local and state officials told the Owensboro Times that they are unaware of any active data center proposal or recruitment effort tied to Owensboro or Daviess County.
“(Daviess County Fiscal Court) is not involved in any such discussions or negotiations related to a data center project,” said Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen.
Castlen also said neither he nor his staff has had conversations regarding a data center proposal.
Greater Owensboro Economic Development President and CEO Claude Bacon said that while GOEDC regularly evaluates potential projects and economic development opportunities for the community, it “has not been involved in any active recruitment efforts related to a data center project,” nor has it “had any conversations with federal or state representatives regarding a potential data center project.”
State Rep. DJ Johnson said he has not had conversations with any organization proposing a data center in Daviess County.
“I’ve only heard the same talk as everyone else, but nothing I could call substantiated,” Johnson said.
Johnson noted that preliminary conversations could potentially occur without state-level involvement during early stages.
“Unless there was a need for state-level actions up front, I probably wouldn’t be included in such early discussions,” he said.
State Rep. Suzanne Miles said she assumes local economic development and utility agencies routinely evaluate infrastructure capacity and services for potential projects, as they do for other developments.
She added that the only data center project she has been briefed on is the proposed redevelopment of the Century Aluminum site in Hancock County. She said she is unaware of any active data center project for Daviess County.
“Specifically for data centers, I have not been contacted or provided any information on an active project or location for a data center,” Miles said. “I am only aware of many rumors and rumblings of the media and Facebook comments. I have nothing verified or confirmed.”
U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie offered similar comments last week during a business roundtable he hosted in Owensboro.
Guthrie said data centers are becoming a larger focus across the country because of the energy demands tied to artificial intelligence and cloud computing, though he emphasized he was not aware of a local proposal.
“There’s never been a specific discussion on a specific data center at all,” Guthrie said when asked if he’d talked with the Owensboro Mayor about a data center during a media interview following the roundtable.
Mayor Tom Watson had not responded to OT’s request for comment by the time of publication.
