Owensboro, Ky., Mayor Explores Data Center Possibility

(TNS) — Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson said he is exploring the idea of locating an AI data center in the city.

Watson confirmed with the Messenger-Inquirer that he has had talks about the idea with officials from Owensboro Municipal Utilities and with U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie.

Watson and other local officials said there is not a definite plan in the works, but the mayor said a site has been considered as a possible location for a data center.

“It’s a possibility,” Watson said Monday. “But nothing is firmed up yet.”

Watson said of a possible data center, “It’s not a big increase in employment, but those are good-paying jobs.”

Watson said he hopes to know more after further consultation with Guthrie.

“It’s all just preliminary,” Watson said. “I wouldn’t put too much thought into it yet.”

City Manager Nate Pagan said firms exploring the possibility of bringing a data center to Owensboro have made contact with local officials.

“We get contacted, OMU gets contacted and the EDC gets contacted,” Pagan said.

“People call the EDC more than us,” said Pagan, adding that firms looking for locations for data centers consider factors such as proximity to large transmission lines.

The city does not have a definitive data center project that it is pursuing, Pagan said, and no firm has officially brought a proposal to city officials.

“I know there are a lot of people looking for sites,” Pagan said.

Daviess County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said the county has not been involved in any discussions about a data center.

“Nobody has reached out to me and my staff,” Castlen said.

In February, TeraWulf Inc., a firm that specializes in building data centers, bought the former Century Aluminum property in Hawesville. The firm said in a press release it would convert the site into a “digital infrastructure campus supporting high-performance computing and artificial intelligence…

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