A federal energy lab in Morgantown could become the site of a data center to support artificial intelligence.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory campus is one of 16 sites nationwide identified by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop data centers.
The Morgantown site consists of about 50 acres and has access to a power transmission line and a substation.
Two other sites near Pittsburgh that are part of the same laboratory are also under consideration.
One advantage of the Morgantown site is its proximity to West Virginia University and its research programs. The Morgantown lab already conducts research on AI and advanced computing.
The Department of Energy envisions scaling up the sites quickly to make them operational by 2027. Energy Secretary Chris Wright calls the effort the Manhattan Project of global AI dominance.
“With today’s action, the Department of Energy is taking important steps to leverage our domestic resources to power the AI revolution, while continuing to deliver affordable, reliable and secure energy to the American people,” Wright said in a statement.
Other sites on the list include the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio.
Criteria include ample land and water, access to the power grid or the ability to generate power on the site.
The West Virginia Legislature is considering House Bill 2014, to expand the number of microgrids in the state to support data centers.
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that what was the state’s largest coal-burning power plant would become the site of a 4.5 gigawatt natural gas plant to power a data center. The Homer City Generating Station closed in 2023 and was demolished last month.
