Also, Nicholas Preservati, West Virginia’s deputy Secretary of Commerce, said that after speaking with Silicon Foundation representatives, earlier assumptions that this would be a high-impact data center are incorrect.

WHEELING — The past week has been filled with much discussion in both Ohio and Belmont counties as two possible data center projects — or one data center and another that will build modules for data centers — came to light.

In Wheeling, the news last weekend of Silicon Foundation Energy’s purchase of and possible plans to retool the former Centre Foundry site into a small data center evolved as the week went on. It all started when Stokes Energy, a firm that says it has been hired to build a data center along River Road in Warwood, posted the project on LinkedIn. With no further information other than that post and what existed on Silicon Foundation’s own website, which termed the project a “data center,” speculation grew over the weekend and into Monday.

Photo by Eric Ayres The former Centre Foundry & Machine Company property in Warwood was recently sold to Silicon Foundation Energy Inc., which intends to develop a new site for the production of modules to be used in the booming data center industry.

On Monday, Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said he and others had met with a Silicon Foundation representative for a preliminary discussion, but no project was officially in the works. Tuesday evening, Delegate Shawn Fluharty held an impromptu town hall in Warwood to discuss the project (state Sen. Laura Wakim-Chapman also was in attendance to answer questions). Then on Wednesday, Andrii Garanin, chief energy and infrastructure officer for Silicon Foundation, spoke with this newspaper in an attempt to clarify the company’s intentions not to build a data center but instead to revamp the former foundry to build modules for data centers — at least in the initial phase.

To further that point, on Friday we received communication from Nick Preservati, West Virginia’s Deputy Secretary of Commerce, noting the Department of Commerce had spoken with Silicon Foundation officials. “The project in question is not a high impact data center. Instead, it is a mixed-use manufacturing and technology facility, including the manufacturing of modular computing components and software design. Claims that the project includes a 100-megawatt high impact data center are incorrect. The developer has also committed to immediately notifying the department should the intended use of the property change in the future.”

Garanin is expected to be in Wheeling this coming week to meet with city, county and state officials on the Warwood project.

Meanwhile, in Belmont County, commissioners there learned Wednesday that a firm called EnergiAcres wants to construct a 2-3 gigawatt data center on thousands of acres somewhere in Belmont County. No further details were provided, and the announcement didn’t come from the company, but instead St. Clairsville resident Paul Cameron.

Cameron told commissioners the company plans to have the data center operational by the second quarter of 2029. According to the company’s website, the project is in the planning stages and is referred to as “The Real Stargate Ohio.”

Photo by Eric Ayres A huge crowd turned out Tuesday night at the Warwood Veterans Association for a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed data center targeted for the former Centre Foundry & Machine Company property in Warwood.

“Located in Belmont County, Ohio — one of the state’s most energy-rich corridors. Proximity to major gas infrastructure and transmission lines enables fast, cost-effective interconnection. (It would use) 2-3 GW of firm power generation across thousands of acres, designed for phased build-out. Behind-the-meter architecture keeps energy costs predictable for large compute tenants,” according to the company website. “Currently in active planning and permitting. Target commercial operation date of Q2 2029, with site preparation and civil works beginning ahead of schedule.”

Cameron also told our reporter that he has learned of proposed data centers in other parts of the region, including one between Toronto and East Liverpool at the Empire-Stratton Power Plant site and another in Harrison County at the former Consol Coal property off Ohio 9.

With all that said, here’s where we stand right now on both the Ohio County and Belmont County projects, based on what we know:

Centre Foundry Data Module Manufacturing Facility and Proposed Data Center Campus

Here’s what we know:

Photo by Eric Ayres W.Va. Del. Shawn Fluharty (D-Ohio); Wheeling City Councilman Tony Assaro, representing the Ward 1 neighborhood of Warwood; and Wheeling Vice Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis, from left, speak Tuesday night to a packed house at the Warwood Veterans Association about the data center proposed for the former cite of the Centre Foundry & Machine Company property in Warwood.

• The former Centre Foundry property in Warwood has been purchased by Silicon Foundation Energy Inc. for $1.5 million

• Company officials say the facility’s primary purpose will be to manufacture modular components used in the construction of AI data centers.

• The company says those modules would be shipped to projects across the country, creating a manufacturing operation in Warwood.

• The company is also exploring development of a computing and energy technology campus on or adjacent to the property.

• Plans could include a regional compute hub with up to 100 megawatts of computing capacity.

• The proposal has generated significant public interest and concern, prompting a packed community town hall meeting Tuesday in Warwood.

• Residents have raised questions about noise, power generation, environmental impacts, traffic, emissions and transparency.

• Company representatives have stressed that the manufacturing operation and the potential computing campus are related but distinct parts of the overall vision.

What we don’t know:

• Whether the 100-megawatt data center campus will ultimately be built.

• A final construction timeline.

• How many permanent jobs would be created by either the manufacturing operation or the data center.

• Whether backup generation would be required from the current American Electric Power feed, and what type.

• Total water usage and cooling requirements.

• Traffic impacts once the project is fully operational.

• The project’s total investment.

• Whether state or local incentives will be sought.

• How HB 2014, the microgrid bill, will work in relation to this particular project.

Proposed Belmont County AI Data Center

Here’s what we know:

• A separate proposal has surfaced for a massive data center somewhere in Belmont County.

• The project is being promoted by EnergiAcres.

• Company materials describe it as a proposed 2-3 gigawatt AI data center campus.

• The project is referred to as “The Real Stargate Ohio.”

• It could be operational by the second quarter of 2029.

• Belmont County commissioners first learned of the proposal during a public meeting this past Wednesday and had not previously been briefed.

• The exact site has not been publicly identified, although it is expected to involve thousands of acres.

• Officials noted the proposal is still in the planning stages.

• The Belmont County project is entirely separate from the Warwood proposal.

What we don’t know:

• The exact location of the proposed campus.

• Which property owners are involved.

• Whether land has been secured.

• The ultimate customer or operator of the AI data center.

• The project’s total construction cost.

• The number of permanent jobs expected.

• What power generation infrastructure would be required.

• Water consumption and cooling requirements.

• Environmental impacts.

• Whether local zoning approvals or tax incentives will be needed.

• When the public will have an opportunity to review detailed plans.

• Whether the project ultimately will move beyond the planning stage.