White Sulphur Springs, WV (WOAY) – Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced more than $81 billion in new private-sector investment in West Virginia on Thursday, most of it tied to two Mason County data centers, during his address at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Business Summit at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.
The governor said the first phase of Nscale’s project alone is projected at more than $69 billion and is expected to support more than 4,300 construction jobs and 645 permanent positions once operational, requiring roughly 2 gigawatts of power. Starwood Digital Ventures plans a separate $12 billion project expected to support about 1,500 jobs, with a power demand of about 2.16 gigawatts.
With both projects drawing enormous amounts of electricity, and West Virginia carrying the highest average utility costs in the country, Morrisey addressed affordability directly.
“Starwood is going to fund the project’s infrastructure costs rather than pass them on to West Virginia ratepayers. Let me be clear. West Virginia electricity bills are not going up from these announcements, period,” Morrisey said.
The governor said state law enforces those ratepayer protections and that no state money went into either deal. He also highlighted a separate energy partnership involving EQT, Appalachian Power and Hope Gas that aims for $80 billion in projects over five years.
Data centers and the artificial intelligence they power remain a concern for many residents. Asked what he would say to West Virginians who see the projects as doing more harm than good, Morrisey pointed to the state’s approach.
“West Virginia is doing this the right way … people will see this is going to be different and it can lead to incredible opportunities for our teachers, for our restaurant workers, from the folks that are sitting at the kitchen table trying to figure out how to make ends meet,” Morrisey said.
He said the state is regulating data centers for the first time, learning from mistakes made in other states.
“This is how West Virginia can engage in responsible development while protecting our communities, our natural resources and our ratepayers,” Morrisey said.
Both of West Virginia’s U.S. senators attended the summit and spoke to the same question hanging over the projects: who pays for the power they will draw.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said Congress is moving to protect customers as data centers push up demand on the grid.
“I’m for the president’s protect the ratepayer bill, and we have that in the Congress right now, to make sure local ratepayers are not going to bear the brunt of the cost of this energy,” Capito said.
Sen. Jim Justice, the state’s former governor, said he welcomes the projects but that the companies behind them have to cover their own cost, water and power.
“The data centers, if they can’t exist within our state in a really great way from the standpoint of water or noise or electricity cost and all that kind of stuff, if they can’t pony up to the board and actually do their part, then they shouldn’t be here,” Justice said.
