Mercer County officials reject regulations to allow data centers next to coal-fired power plant
The Mercer County Fiscal Court unanimously rejected proposed regulations that would have allowed hyperscale data centers near Kentucky Utilities’ E.W. Brown Generating Station. Officials sent the regulations back for further work, while residents and community groups raised concerns about farmland, environmental impacts, historic preservation and nearby neighborhoods.
Mercer County officials unanimously rejected proposed zoning regulations that would have created an industrial technology district for hyperscale data centers near Kentucky Utilities’ E.W. Brown Generating Station. County Judge-Executive Sarah Steele said the draft included protections such as environmental studies and community benefit agreements, but needed to be aligned with the county’s comprehensive plan.
The decision followed strong opposition from residents and the We Are Mercer County group, as well as Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, whose historic site would be less than a mile from the proposed zone. The regulations will return to the county planning and zoning commission for additional work. Mercer County’s one-year moratorium on data center construction remains in place, while officials also await developments involving a separate potential Panattoni Data Centers project near Burgin.