Data Centers
Fluor Tapped for Early Work on 480-MW Kentucky Data Center Campus
Contractor expects to start construction later this year of the estimated $3- to $4-billion data center campus.
A $3-to-$4 billion data center is planned for Hawesville, Ky. with Fluor Corp. handling early engineering work.
Fluor Corp.’s Advanced Technologies business has been tapped to provide early engineering, master planning and preconstruction services for a planned 480-MW data center campus in north-central Kentucky estimated to cost between $3 billion and $4 billion.
Irving, Texas-based Fluor has signed a limited notice to proceed with TeraWulf Inc., a cryptocurrency and data infrastructure company planning to redevelop the retired Century Aluminum smelter in Hawesville, Ky., as a data center.
The agreement allows work to start while the companies finalize definitive engineering, procurement and construction documentation, according to Fluor, which plans to lead the project from its North American Data Center Execution Hub in Greenville, S.C. Construction on the 790-acre former industrial site is planned to start later this year and be completed in 2027.
“The site includes more than 250 buildable acres for computer capacity and offers immediate access to robust power infrastructure, including multiple high-voltage transmission lines, an on-site energized substation, and a direct connection to the regional transmission network,” TeraWulf said in a news release. The company said the campus is being designed for long-term data center leasing agreements of 10 to 15 years or more.
Construction of the project's low-profile, one- to two-story modular buildings is expected to occur in phases. Some existing structures will be reused, while the cooling tower and former aluminum smelting infrastructure will be demolished, TeraWulf said.
Nearby residents have voiced concerns about water usage, noise and lack of transparency on the project, according to local news reports. A petition on Change.org seeking a pause on the project drew 1,070 signatures. The petition notes that 600 jobs were lost when the smelter was idled in 2022 and states that “residents are being asked to accept long-term impacts— higher energy demand, infrastructure strain and environmental risk—without clear, binding guarantees that the project will replace those job losses.”
Responding to these objections, TeraWulf said it plans to use advance cooling technology to keep operational sound levels below 55 dBA, roughly equivalent to a normal conversation and below local limits. Noise is expected to be inaudible at the property line.
The company said it will use the site’s existing transmission infrastructure to avoid the need for building new utilities, and added that the center will use a sealed, closed-loop cooling system that requires minimal water and does not consume or discharge water during normal operations. Heat will be dissipated through air-to-fluid exchangers, eliminating the need for evaporative or open-loop cooling towers. The company has said the Ohio River will not be used as a water source for the project.
TeraWulf said it selected the Hawseville site because it is within 300 miles of several Midwest metropolitan areas, has access to cost-competitive wholesale power and existing industrial infrastructure on site. Flour said it will recognize its portion of the undisclosed contract value in the first quarter.
