Data centers in Hancock County, Kentucky: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

TeraWulf is turning the former Century Aluminum smelter at 1627 State Route 3543 in Hawesville into a data center campus, called Justified Data, leased for 20 years to the AI company Anthropic. The site comes with about 480 megawatts of power, and on August 21, 2026 the Kentucky Public Service Commission approved its 482-megawatt electricity contract with Big Rivers Electric. The first phase could be running in late 2027.

Century idled the smelter in 2022 because of high energy costs, and more than 600 people lost their jobs. TeraWulf's affiliate bought the 750-acre site on February 2, 2026 for $200 million in cash plus a 6.8 percent stake in the project. "An old shut-down smelter is not a very attractive site in your community after a few years," said Mike Baker of the Hancock County Industrial Foundation. Judge-Executive Johnny Roberts said, "We don't want to subsidize their business on the back of the ratepayers."

At the commission's July hearing at Hancock County High School, many speakers urged it to reject the deal, citing power bills, noise and the environment. "The hum of that plant will be heard in these schools," one resident said. The commission found the contract protects other customers and noted TeraWulf's claim of at least 90 jobs, but called local tax revenue "not guaranteed." It has no authority over water, noise or siting, and the land was already zoned for heavy industry.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.