Developer outlines 800‑megawatt data‑center campus, pledges water and noise mitigation

Hank Hillerbrand, identified in the record as president of Pole Companies, told Carroll County fiscal court the developer has options under contract on about 550 acres near the Kentucky River and I‑71 and is pursuing 800 megawatts of power with KU to build a data‑center campus.

“We have put under option control all of under contract control all of the properties bordered by the Kentucky River, I 71 in Mill Creek, about 550 acres or so,” Hillerbrand said. He said the project team is focusing building activity on high ground outside the 500‑year floodplain and will not build in floodway or low‑lying areas. He told the court the company is “committed to, 65 decibel maximum at the property lines” and plans a minimum 500‑foot separation between data‑center buildings and existing homes.

Hillerbrand described the team’s water strategy as a closed‑loop or reclaimed system and said the developer is discussing use of reclaimed water with Carrollton Utilities. He gave a company estimate the campus would use roughly “2 to 8,000,000 gallons a year,” and said the facilities would comply with any wastewater standards Carrollton Utilities requires.

The developer also cited an economic impact draft from Commonwealth Economics projecting multi‑decade tax revenues tied to taxable real estate and personal property associated with large data centers; Hillerbrand said those figures are 20‑year averages and subject to further diligence. He said usual state and federal reviews would apply, naming the Kentucky Division of Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as regulatory steps and saying KU and the state public service commission have roles in power and tariff arrangements.

Hillerbrand said the project is early in site design and that more community meetings are planned as the team finalizes site plans and conducts environmental and civil studies. No zoning or permitting decision was taken during the court meeting.