Murray Industries data center on former coal land (Bell County)
Also called: Pineville project
Murray Industries planned a data center on former coal mining land near Pineville, using a 360-megawatt power hookup. Neighbors objected, and Bell County paused all data centers for two years in July 2026. Residents worry land clearing is still going on.
Where things stand: Bell County passed a two-year pause on all data centers on July 2, 2026. In August a contractor said he was asked to keep clearing the land anyway.
🕒 Latest update (Aug 2026): A contractor said a data center developer asked him to keep clearing the land. The county attorney said that would break the moratorium.
What we know
- 📍 WhereFormer coal mining land near the Bell-Knox county line, near Pineville, Unincorporated Bell County, Bell County
- 🏢 CompanyMurray Industries
- ⚡ Power it needs360 megawatts (about as much as 288,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromLG&E and KU. The site has a substation first built for coal mines. LG&E/KU told state regulators the 'Pineville project' is 80% likely and substation work has started.
- 👷 Jobs promised100
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Is land clearing still happening at the Bell County site despite the moratorium? 🙋 I'll find out
- Which tech company would use the site? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water would it use? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- June 2026Residents packed the Bell County courthouse to oppose the data center. Land clearing had already started near homes.
- July 2, 2026Bell County Fiscal Court unanimously passed a two-year pause (moratorium) on building or running data centers of any size.
- Aug 2026A contractor said a data center developer asked him to keep clearing the land. The county attorney said that would break the moratorium.
Local votes and rules
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
After hundreds of residents packed the courthouse in Pineville, Bell County Fiscal Court unanimously passed a two-year pause on building and running data centers of any size. It affects a planned hyperscale data center near the Bell-Knox county line. In August 2026, reports said site work and a power substation were still moving ahead, and the county attorney said site work for a data center would break the pause.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Bell County residents pack courthouse to oppose data center construction · WYMT · June 26, 2026
- WKYT Investigates: Bell County family fights proposed data center · WYMT / WKYT · July 9, 2026
- Bell County passed a data center moratorium. Residents worry work continues · Kentucky Lantern (via States Newsroom) · Aug 2026
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