On Monday evening, March 31, the Stubblefield Institute at Shepherd University hosted a panel discussion about data centers in Jefferson County and West Virginia. The Observer Weekly co-sponsored the event, and Observer Editor Steve Pearson served as moderator.
The panel brought together four speakers with very different perspectives: Jefferson County Commissioner Cara Keys; Dr. Amy Margolies, Executive Director of Tucker United, a citizens’ group formed in response to a proposed data center-related power project in Tucker County; Chris Morris, Director of West Virginia’s new Data Economy Office; and Dado Slezak, Executive Vice President of Utility Innovation at QTS, one of the nation’s largest data center operators with 90 data center buildings across the country. You can read the bios of the panelists here.
What Kind of Data Centers Are We Talking About?
QTS’ Slezak offered a useful framework early in the discussion. There are three categories: micro data centers (not the focus here); enterprise data centers, which have long existed (including in West Virginia) to support organizations’ IT operations; and hyperscale data centers, which consume 300 megawatts to a gigawatt or more of power.
According to the Pew Research Center, the surge in demand for hyperscale data centers is driven in large part by the explosive growth of generative artificial intelligence (AI), which requires enormous computing power to train and run these AI models. States that produce more power than they consume — such as West Virginia — are natural candidates for this type of development, which explains the growing interest in the region.
What makes a specific location attractive for hyperscale development? According to Slezak, his company focuses on power availability, flat land, and a nearby workforce. Notably, proximity to fiber or internet infrastructure is less of a factor than many assume. For the Eastern Panhandle, the key constraint is power. Slezak noted that QTS doesn’t begin active development until roughly two years before a facility is scheduled to open.
Transmission upgrades currently under consideration for the region — including the proposed “MARL” and “GDGC” high voltage line that would run from Pennsylvania through northern West Virginia to Virginia — could affect overall power availability in Jefferson County. There are currently no plans to place a substation in Jefferson County that could tap into that new line, but future data center projects could find it economically feasible to invest the millions of dollars it would take to expand the grid to use that power in Jefferson County.
Community Concerns Are Real — and Specific
Panelists — particularly Tucker United’s Margolies and Commissioner Keys — identified several community concerns: water use (particularly groundwater, which takes years to replenish once withdrawn), noise, air emissions, setbacks, and the loss of local control under HB 2014, the state legislation that created a certification process for High Impact Data Centers (HIDCs).
Margolies, whose organization has been trying — without success — to meet with Fundamental Data, the company behind a massive project in Tucker County, put it plainly: this is “private gain with public costs.” She offered a pointed observation that drew a clear response from the audience: “We hear that West Virginia needs to power the digital future — but a lot of West Virginians aren’t living in the digital present.”
Commissioner Keys, a Republican, framed the need for more local control of data center development as a non-partisan issue.
The State’s Role — and Gaps
WV Data Economy Office head Chris Morris shared that, seven months into building the Data Economy Office, the workload has been “overwhelming in a good way.” While he has had support from other state agencies, he has not yet hired any dedicated staff. He explained that his office has a 14-day window to review HIDC applications and recommend approval or denial to the Secretary of Commerce. He noted that certification as an HIDC does not replace other required permits, such as those for air and water. Notably, Morris confirmed that the Tucker County project — the focus of Tucker United’s concerns — has not filed an application with his office.
Morris also outlined two initiatives his office is considering: issuing a “request for information”(RFI) to counties to identify sites where communities actually want data centers, and creating an advisory council to guide his office’s work.
Most participants and audience members aligned with Commissioner Keys’s position: support for data centers, but with guardrails. A small minority opposed data centers altogether; another smaller minority favored moving forward without delay. As Dr. Margolies put it, what’s needed are “legally binding commitments, not intentions.” It remains to be seen whether the interest in amending HB 2014 will lead to action in next year’s legislative session in Charleston.
The panel discussion was recorded and is available to view online. The Observer has ongoing coverage of data center projects in West Virginia at ObserverWV.com.
Published 2026 Apr 2 in the Observer Weekly.
By Steve Pearson