Boyd County approves six-month moratorium on new data centers; TeraWulf project exempt
Boyd County, Kentucky, has enacted a six-month moratorium on new data centers, temporarily halting future construction and development. The decision was influenced by resident concerns about water and electricity usage, although a previously announced TeraWulf data center project is exempt from this moratorium.
Boyd County, Kentucky, has approved a six-month moratorium on new data centers, effectively halting the construction, development, and operation of future data storage facilities within its jurisdiction. This decision was made by the Boyd County Judge Executive following a meeting on Thursday.
The moratorium comes after Maryland-based company TeraWulf announced in May its plans to build a data center at the East Park Industrial Complex, approximately 12 miles from Ashland. Residents voiced significant concerns regarding the substantial water and energy consumption associated with the data center, fearing potential impacts on their farms and increases in electricity bills.
Aaron, the Judge Executive for Boyd County, explained that the county is joining multiple other counties in the state in adopting such measures due to a lack of state-level defense mechanisms to regulate certain aspects of these developments. However, the approved moratorium explicitly exempts the TeraWulf project, which will proceed as planned.
Despite the moratorium, residents continue to express hope for more comprehensive regulations as the TeraWulf project moves forward.