Ridgeline Facility

A proposed data center complex with its own natural gas power plant, between the towns of Davis and Thomas in Tucker County. The power plant would be in Tucker County; the company says the data center buildings would be in Tucker and Grant counties.

According to the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the state air permit authorizes a 785-megawatt natural gas power plant with diesel backup generators, and the power would serve the private data center rather than being sold to the regional grid. The Conservancy also notes that state law allows up to 10% of the power to be sold back to the grid.

The Department of Environmental Protection approved redactions of emissions data and other information in the permit application, citing trade secrets. DEP’s engineering evaluation of the permit lists three diesel storage tanks of 10 million gallons each.

Tucker United says the site is about 0.8 miles from Davis-Thomas Elementary & Middle School and would store 30 million gallons of diesel. A report by Harvard-affiliated researchers, commissioned by Tucker United, projects $19 million to $35 million in health-related damages if the facility runs as permitted.

The permit has been appealed. The WV Air Quality Board upheld it in February 2026. In August 2026 the Intermediate Court of Appeals dismissed the permit challenges brought by Tucker United, the WV Highlands Conservancy, and the Sierra Club on jurisdictional grounds; WDTV reports this moves the case to the WV Supreme Court. According to the Highlands Conservancy, no court has yet heard the merits. For now, the permit remains valid.

The groups dispute the plant’s classification as a “minor source” of air pollution. They say their expert’s calculations show it would be a major source, which would require continuous emissions monitoring.

Some reports describe the full project as 1,600 MW; the current air permit covers 785 MW.