Keel Scrubgrass AI data center campus (former waste-coal power plant and bitcoin mine)
Also called: Scrubgrass AI Campus, Bitfarms Scrubgrass, Stronghold Scrubgrass
An old waste-coal power plant in Scrubgrass Township that ran bitcoin mining is planned to become a 1.3 gigawatt AI data center campus on 650 acres. Owner Keel Infrastructure says it may switch the plant to natural gas. Neighbors are pressing the company about a coal ash pile it has not yet removed.
Where things stand: Bitcoin mining stopped June 29, 2026. Keel held public meetings in September 2026 for a 1.3 gigawatt AI campus; construction planned 2027-2032, first operations 2029. Township approvals still needed.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 22, 2026): Keel held community meetings at the Clintonville Fire Hall. It projected 591 jobs at full buildout and admitted it missed the September 1 deadline to remove about 150,000 tons of coal ash.
What we know
- 📍 WhereScrubgrass power plant near Kennerdell, by the Allegheny River, Scrubgrass, Venango County
- 🏢 CompanyKeel Infrastructure (formerly Bitfarms; site bought from Stronghold Digital Mining in March 2025)
- 🏛️ Owned byKeel Infrastructure Corp. (Nasdaq: KEEL)
- 🌳 Size650 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs1,363 megawatts (about as much as 1,090,400 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromExisting waste-coal power plant (about 63 megawatts now). Company is 'seriously considering' switching the plant to natural gas and adding 550+ megawatts of gas power, with a 3-4 mile pipeline to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline.
- ❄️ CoolingClosed-loop cooling planned (company says it uses much less water than evaporative cooling)
- 👷 Jobs promised591
- 🤐 Secret deal (NDA)No
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- When will the remaining coal ash be removed, and what is DEP doing about the missed deadline? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will the plant switch to natural gas, and has DEP received permit applications for a new gas plant or pipeline? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water would the campus take from the Allegheny River? 🙋 I'll find out
- What local approvals will Scrubgrass Township need to give, and when will it vote? 🙋 I'll find out
- How many diesel backup generators are planned? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- March 2025Bitfarms bought the site from Stronghold Digital Mining.
- April 1, 2026Bitfarms became part of Keel Infrastructure, which is moving from bitcoin mining to AI data centers.
- June 2, 2026Company said Scrubgrass could grow to about 1,363 megawatts on 650 acres; it has done power studies with FirstEnergy up to 750 megawatts. A legal settlement requires removing an unpermitted coal ash pile by September 2026.
- June 29, 2026Bitcoin mining at Scrubgrass stopped.
- Sept 22, 2026Keel held community meetings at the Clintonville Fire Hall. It projected 591 jobs at full buildout and admitted it missed the September 1 deadline to remove about 150,000 tons of coal ash.
Local votes and rules
📜 Data center rules
Scrubgrass Township, which has no zoning or planning commission, adopted an ordinance to govern how data centers are sited, built and run. It came as Keel Infrastructure (formerly Bitfarms) said its site near Kennerdell could become a 1.3-gigawatt AI data center campus. No permit application had been filed as of August 2026.
Drag the slider to compare the land before and now.
Where this comes from
- Keel outlines Scrubgrass data center plans as residents question plant's record · exploreClarion · Sept 23, 2026
- Scrubgrass could become area's largest AI data center campus · exploreClarion · June 2, 2026
- Keel Infrastructure Corp. Form 10-Q (quarter ended June 30, 2026) · U.S. SEC · 2026
- Keel Infrastructure: Scrubgrass AI Campus · Baxtel
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