Hopkinsville Considers Data Center Zoning Rules Amid Crypto Mine Expansion Plans

A cryptocurrency mining operation has been running for three years in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, without much public attention. The facility is located inside the city's Holland Substation on North Campbell Street and consists of 22 modular units, each housing specialized computers used to mine Bitcoin.

The company behind this operation, North Campbell Land Co., is proposing an expansion and a change in use from cryptocurrency mining to other computing work. They also want to develop a second data center at another site in Hopkinsville with a capacity of 50 megawatts. The estimated cost for building this new facility would be between $8 million and $10 million, which NCLC has offered to cover.

The expansion plan was presented during a public hearing on proposed zoning regulations for data centers. Currently, there are no specific rules in place for data centers in Hopkinsville, but the Community and Development Services department is working on an amendment to the zoning ordinance. The draft proposes classifying data centers according to their connected electrical load and total footprint.

NCLC representative Thomas Masiero emphasized that their facility benefits both NCLC and Hopkinsville Electric customers through a flexible-load program, which allows them to quickly reduce or shut down power use in case of unusually high demand. The company also plans to use a closed-loop cooling system, which recirculates water instead of continually replacing it.