Kentucky Industrial Alliance data center on Doyle Avenue (Cave City)
A company called Kentucky Industrial Alliance wants to build a data center on about 380 acres in Cave City, near Mammoth Cave National Park. The Kentucky Lantern reports it could total 2 million square feet and 1.2 gigawatts. The city paused data centers for a year, and the company sued. Neighbors worry about runoff into the cave system.
Where things stand: Plans were filed May 11, 2026. Cave City then passed a 12-month pause on data centers. The developer is suing the city.
🕒 Latest update (July 20, 2026): First court hearing in the lawsuit.
What we know
- 📍 WhereAbout 380 acres on Doyle Avenue, about 10 miles from Mammoth Cave National Park, Cave City, Barren County
- 🏢 CompanyKentucky Industrial Alliance LLC
- 🌳 Size380 acres
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromFarmers RECC / East Kentucky Power Cooperative area. As of June 2026 no power application had been filed with the co-ops.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Which tech company would use the Cave City data center? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much power would it really need? The power co-ops say no application was filed as of June 2026. 🙋 I'll find out
- How would the site protect the cave and sinkholes from runoff? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- May 11, 2026Kentucky Industrial Alliance filed a data center plan for about 380 acres on Doyle Avenue with the joint planning commission.
- May 20, 2026Cave City passed a 12-month pause (moratorium) on data centers after special meetings on May 18 and 20.
- June 2026The developer sued Cave City, its council and the planning commission, saying its plan should be judged under the old rules.
- June 12, 2026Farmers RECC and East Kentucky Power Cooperative said no power application had been filed for a Barren County data center.
- July 20, 2026First court hearing in the lawsuit.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC sued Cave City, its council and the Barren County planning commission. The company says its plan for a data center on about 380 acres off Doyle Avenue was filed on May 11, 2026, before the pause. It asks a judge to throw out the pause and review its plan under the old rules. A first hearing was set for July 20, 2026.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
Cave City Council voted 4-1 for a 12-month pause on new data center applications, after special meetings on May 18 and May 20, 2026. The city wants time to decide on zoning rules. A developer that had filed plans for a data center on about 380 acres sued to stop the pause.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Developer sues Cave City over data center zoning moratorium · WBKO · June 9, 2026
- Farmers RECC and EKPC release statement about proposed data center project in Barren County · WBKO · June 12, 2026
- Cave City residents push back on proposed data center near Mammoth Cave · Spectrum News 1 · July 18, 2026
- See where data center developers are looking to build in Kentucky · Kentucky Lantern (via States Newsroom) · Aug 16, 2026
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