HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The topic of data centers came up during the recent Hopkinsville City Council meeting, with Mayor James R. Knight sharing how the city is planning to protect themselves from developments that could be harmful to infrastructure.

“Looking online and looking in the news, we see AI and data centers,” said Councilmember Chuck Crabtree at the June 2 meeting. He initiated discussion about data centers, suggesting that the city establishes an ordinance or guidelines to manage potential future developments.

In response, Knight confirmed that he has already been working with Community Development Services to establish specific regulations. This could restrict how much land, energy and water potential developers would be able to use. While local industrial sites like Commerce Park II would have the land to accommodate a data center, Knight said they do not have the right infrastructure in place for it and are limited by TVA for energy consumption.

“It is very much a priority,” said Tom Britton with CDS. “The data centers that are being built, based on the size, use the equivalent electricity of a city of about 50,000 so, it’s very impactful.”

Knight also emphasized that although there were brief talks around a year ago, there are no data center companies actively pursuing developing in Hopkinsville.

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Changes to be presented to city council, county weighs in

For now, CDS is working to draft potential amendments to the Hopkinsville Zoning Code to establish guidelines. Britton anticipates the city council will be presented with these changes in the next 90-100 days for approval after they are able to hold a public hearing and do the work on the back end.

Similarly, the city has previously established an ordinance to restrict solar energy system developments, construction, installation and decommissioning. That ordinance also protects lands in the proximity of a development. Britton said data center amendments will be of the same vein with wording to include requirements for different sized developments.

In February, Christian County Judge Executive Jerry Gilliam also weighed in on the topic. During a conference with other county leaders in the commonwealth, he learned that not all data centers have the capital to invest in the infrastructure required to run the facility. In response, he hopes Christian County can properly prepare for possible inquires and ensure any developer is a good fit.

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