A Louisville development team has rolled out an eye-popping proposal: a $9.6 billion data-center campus on about 550 acres of farmland just east of Interstate 71 near Carrollton in Carroll County. Under the current concept, roughly 300 acres would hold the data buildings, with the remaining land set aside for landscaping and buffer zones. The developers say they have purchase options on the property and have wrapped up initial studies, and say construction would begin in 2025 with the first building operational by Q4 2026.
As reported by Louisville Business First, the plan, branded the Carrollton Industrial Campus, comes from Poe Companies and PowerHouse Data Centers and would sit near Carrollton in Carroll County. That outlet notes the development team has secured purchase options on the land and has completed initial site studies and plans public outreach.
What’s Planned And The Local Pitch
According to WDRB, the outlet reported on an economic analysis related to the project.
WDRB also reports that the proposed site includes about 342 acres in the Carrollton area.
Developers And Power Capacity
Poe Companies is a Louisville real estate firm, and PowerHouse Data Centers describes itself as a national developer of hyperscale campuses. PowerHouse has previously highlighted a Kentucky and Louisville presence in earlier announcements. In prior materials, PowerHouse Data Centers and Poe have pointed to strong regional access to electricity, water and fiber infrastructure.
For the Carroll County location, the developers say power studies indicate Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities have the capacity to serve the campus. Any infrastructure upgrades needed to support that load, they say, would be paid for privately rather than by local ratepayers. Kentucky Public Service Commission filings on Kentucky.gov show LG&E/KU have used formal PSC filings for interconnection- and service-related matters in the past.
Next Steps And Local Questions
The project team has told officials it plans to conduct outreach with Carroll County residents and local leaders to field questions about utility protections, water planning, noise, traffic and public benefits for schools and public safety, according to WDRB. Developers say they expect to release more details from their economic analysis in the coming weeks and have said construction would begin in 2025 with the first building operational by Q4 2026.
County officials and neighbors are now staring down the familiar tradeoffs that come with a big-tech build: the promise of new tax revenue and jobs versus worries about water use, constant humming and truck traffic, and the long-term impact on a small community. For now, it is all still on paper. Upcoming public meetings and any formal filings will determine whether, and how quickly, this mega-campus actually rises from those Carrollton fields.
