Data Center Census

Thomas, Tucker County, WV

Ridgeline Facility

Also known as Ridgeline project, Fundamental Data Ridgeline

ApprovedState air permit R13-3713 issued Aug 2025 and upheld by Air Quality Board Feb 2026; appeals court dismissed groups' appeals Aug 2026 for lack of jurisdiction, leaving a path to the WV Supreme Court
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Fundamental Data LLC proposes an off-grid, gas-fired power plant and data center complex between Davis and Thomas in Tucker County, West Virginia. Reported sizes vary: local press describes a 1,600 MW plant on about 500 acres, while POWER Magazine reports a roughly 5 GW, two-phase plan on a 291-acre tract. The state air permit has been issued and upheld over appeals by Tucker United, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Sierra Club, and in August 2026 WVDEP confirmed the company controls the site.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity1.6 GW [2]
as reported by WDTV for the off-grid gas-and-diesel plant
Planned capacity5 GW [5]
POWER Magazine: ~5 GW total across two phases (Phase 1 ~800 MW gas + ~1.3 GW solar; Phase 2 3.1 GW additional gas)
IT load2 GW [5]
POWER Magazine: Phase 1 includes 14 data center buildings using 2+ GW of computing load
Site size500 acres [3]
as reported by local press
Site size291 acres [1]
tract purchased from Western Pocahontas Properties (purchase agreement dated 2024-07-19)
Buildings14 [5]
data center buildings in Phase 1, per POWER Magazine
Target completionCommercial operations targeted for 2028 (per POWER Magazine) [5]

Power

Power supplyOn-site natural gas / diesel combustion turbines with heat recovery steam generators (off-grid microgrid); three 10-million-gallon diesel storage tanks [6]
Air permitWVDEP permit R13-3713 classifies the facility as a synthetic minor source, with physical and operational limits to stay below PSD major thresholds [6]
Source excerpt
“Physical and operational limitations so that source is below PSD major thresholds”

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesProject says it seeks no state or local financial assistance (per POWER Magazine); proceeds under WV HB 2014 certified microgrid program [5]

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Timeline

  1. Purchase and sale agreement for 291-acre site with Western Pocahontas Properties [1]

  2. Air permit application R13-3713 filed with WVDEP Division of Air Quality [6]

  3. WVDEP issues air quality construction permit R13-3713 after 1,605 written comments [7]

  4. West Virginia Air Quality Board upholds permit over appeal by Tucker United, WV Highlands Conservancy and Sierra Club [5]

  5. WVDEP determines Fundamental Data has demonstrated site control after company missed Aug 7 deadline and filed documents Aug 11 [1]

  6. Intermediate Court of Appeals dismisses environmental groups' appeals for lack of jurisdiction, finding good cause for late appeals to the WV Supreme Court [2]

Issues raised

  • Opponents dispute WVDEP's classification of the plant as a synthetic minor source of air pollution [3][4]
  • Groups objected to redaction of emissions data and permit details as confidential business information [1][3]
  • Expert testimony at the appeal hearing said daily emissions could fluctuate beyond DEP assumptions [4]

Sources

  1. WV DEP says Fundamental Data controls site of proposed Tucker County data center, power plant
    West Virginia Watch · Aug 17, 2026 · news
  2. State appeals court dismisses environmental groups' lawsuits over Tucker County data center plant
    WDTV · Aug 26, 2026 · news
  3. Air Quality Board sides with developers of Tucker County data center
    WV MetroNews · Feb 7, 2026 · news
  4. State Regulators Hear Two Days Of Evidence In Appeal Of Tucker County Data Center Permits
    West Virginia Public Broadcasting · Dec 4, 2025 · news
  5. Contested 5-GW Ridgeline Gas, Solar, and Data-Center Complex in West Virginia Clears Site-Control Question
    POWER Magazine · Aug 18, 2026 · news
  6. Fundamental Data LLC Ridgeline Facility public meeting presentation (R13-3713)
    West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Air Quality · Jun 30, 2025 · government
  7. DEP Approves Fundamental Data Air Quality Permit for Ridgeline Project
    Parsons Advocate · Aug 19, 2025 · news
  8. Tucker power plant's air permit upheld
    The Inter-Mountain · Feb 10, 2026 · news