Data center demand is the focus of the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission’s report to the Kentucky general assembly.
It says potential electricity demand for data centers from Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities and East Kentucky Power Cooperative alone could exceed what the entire state generates.
Together, they would account for 22 gigawatts – more than the 18 gigawatts Kentucky generated in the summer of 2024.
Eric King is executive director of the commission.
“This report is not about whether Kentucky should recruit data centers, that is a decision local officials and local communities, economic developers will make themselves,” he said. “This report is about what Kentucky needs to understand if these projects move forward.”
Sen. Stephen West, a Republican from Paris, is on the Natural Resources and Energy Committee.
“As everyone knows, it’s kind of a gold rush right now,” he said.
The report urges state leaders to get ahead of the demand and set policies that protect electricity customers yet encourage economic development.
Public debate on data centers has been ongoing in several Kentucky counties, including Daviess, Mercer, Mason, Oldham, Simpson and Warren.
A large 1 gigawatt proposal west of Ashland has generated skepticism in recent days from the public but also praise from local leaders who embrace the potential for jobs and tax revenues.
A smaller project at the former Lexmark campus in Lexington appears to be under development.
The commission’s report also recommends that lawmakers take a look at what has worked, and not worked, in states such as Virginia and Ohio.
LG&E and KU is a financial supporter of WEKU.
