West Virginia villagers take on AI-driven power plant boom


A construction vehicle drives past a sign reading 'No power plant data center' in the town of Davis, West Virginia, on June 30, 2025. The mayor and some residents of Davis, a town about a three-hour drive from Washington and home to 600 people, are fighting against construction of the mysterious project on the outskirts of Davis, designed to power a vast data centre. This fight in the woods of rural West Virginia is the latest example of the war between the US tech sector – and its rapidly rising need for energy to power the AI boom – and the communities it affects. — AFP

DAVIS, United States: Al Tomson, mayor of a tiny town tucked away in an idyllic corner of the eastern United States, points to a spot on a map of his region.

"The power plant would be there," says the former military man, who is fighting against construction of the mysterious project on the outskirts of Davis, designed to power a vast data centre.

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