Ridgeline power plant and data center (Fundamental Data)
Also called: Ridgeline Facility
A large off-grid gas power plant and data center complex planned on about 500 acres between Davis and Thomas, near Canaan Valley. The power plant has an air permit, but residents and conservation groups are fighting it in court. The company says the data center part depends on future customers.
Where things stand: Air permit for the gas power plant issued Aug. 2025 and upheld Feb. 2026; court appeals filed. Company calls the data centers 'conceptual'. State asked for proof it controls the land (Aug. 2026).
🕒 Latest update (Aug 7, 2026): State DEP asked Fundamental Data to prove it controls the project site.
What we know
- 📍 WhereOff U.S. 48 about two miles north of Davis and Thomas; data center buildings may also be in Grant County, Unincorporated Tucker County, Tucker County
- 🏢 CompanyFundamental Data LLC
- 🌳 Size500 acres
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromIts own off-grid gas power plant (first phase about 800 MW of gas plus 1.3 GW of solar, per a state summary), with diesel backup.
- 🗼 New power linesNo
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Who owns the land, and does Fundamental Data control it? 🙋 I'll find out
- Who would use the data centers? 🙋 I'll find out
- How many megawatts would the data centers use? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water would the project use? 🙋 I'll find out
- What did the courts decide on the air permit appeals? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Aug 2025State DEP issued the air permit for the Ridgeline gas power plant.
- Feb 5, 2026State Air Quality Board upheld the air permit but required more air monitoring.
- March 6, 2026Tucker United, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Sierra Club appealed to the state courts.
- July 1, 2026The state Commerce Department wrote that county records list a different company as owner of the land.
- Aug 7, 2026State DEP asked Fundamental Data to prove it controls the project site.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
Tucker United, the WV Highlands Conservancy and the Sierra Club appealed the state air permit for Fundamental Data's gas power plant near Davis and Thomas. The Air Quality Board let the permit stand in early 2026. On Aug. 26, 2026 the Intermediate Court of Appeals dismissed the appeals because it said it was the wrong court, not because of the merits. The groups said they would take it to the West Virginia Supreme Court.
📌 Other
The Davis Town Council voted 5-0 for a resolution opposing the planned power plant and data center complex anywhere in Tucker County. It also criticized the state law that took away local control over these projects. It was the first official stand by a Tucker County government.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- DEP questions Fundamental Data site control for Tucker Co. data center-linked project · Moorefield Examiner (Mountain Media) · Aug 8, 2026
- Air Quality Board sides with developers of Tucker County data center · WV MetroNews · Feb 7, 2026
- Citizen groups appeal Ridgeline power plant air quality permit to W.Va. courts · WDTV · March 11, 2026
- As pushback to data centers grows across the state, Mingo County residents say it's an election issue · Mountain State Spotlight · May 3, 2026
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