Chris Morris, director of the West Virginia Data Economy Office, speaks to residents about data center developments at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, West Virginia, on Thursday, June 11. (Photo by Caity Coyne/West Virginia Watch)
Chris Morris, director of the West Virginia Data Economy Office, said Thursday that the state has received its first application to certify a microgrid tied to data center developments.
To date, two proposed data center projects — one in Putnam County and another in Berkeley County — have been certified and approved by the state. Neither of those projects, at this point, include microgrids, which are energy grids used to power data centers behind the meters of existing electric utilities.
Morris made the announcement during a lunchtime lecture at the University of Charleston’s Downtown Innovation Hub on Thursday. In an interview after the talk, he said he could not provide any more details on what developer applied for microgrid certification. The application, he said, was sent to the state’s Department of Commerce “this week.”
He did confirm, however, that the state has yet to receive an application for certification from Fundamental Data, a developer proposing to build a massive natural gas-powered data center complex between Thomas and Davis in Tucker County, West Virginia.
“We have not received any application at this point from that company,” Morris said.
During his lecture, Morris repeated several of the points he made to lawmakers while presenting during informal House meetings last month. He reiterated that several of the projects often discussed in media and online — in Tucker, Mason and Mingo counties — have yet to be approved by the state. He also acknowledged, again, that the state could do better at communicating with communities on projects that have been approved for certification as well as the overall process for being certified.
Talking after Thursday’s lecture, Morris said his office and others within state Commerce related to data centers are working to improve public relations and communications around the developments.
The office, he said, has updated its website to share more information about the High Impact Data Center certification program. As updated, the information presented is largely geared toward attracting developers to the state by emphasizing the benefits of locating in West Virginia.
Part of the strategy for the office, Morris said, is giving more talks (like the one on Thursday) and meeting with residents who want to learn more in order to correct what state officials see as “misinformation” around the developments.
Morris said that, “in the not-too-distant future,” the state plans to distribute a Request for Interest for localities to flag if there is a site near them that could be developed into a data center. Location, he said, is “the most important” factor for him to consider when a developer applies to certify a project.
Morris said he understood why residents across West Virginia are wary of proposed data center developments. He said he viewed it as his responsibility to ensure that the state — through his office — practiced due diligence in reviewing and approving projects, ensuring that those that are approved are from companies with proven experience in the field and a commitment to the communities they locate in.
But for advocates who are working with communities and residents where projects — approved or not — are located, questions and concerns remain paramount.
Morgan King, the climate manager for West Virginia Citizen Action Group, asked Morris whether he had visited a data center complex anywhere that actually runs on a microgrid.
King emphasized that some of the concerns being voiced by residents — like potential noise and light pollution, emissions from the power sources and more — are specific to projects reliant on microgrids. The impacts on a community, she said, are different when a natural gas plant is included in a project versus when it’s only a data center.
Morris said he had yet to visit a facility that included a microgrid, but certainly would in the future as part of his “due diligence.”
“The last thing I want to do is go out and approve 100 projects, see 95% of them fail, and then we have communities that are in turmoil and upset all over the state,” Morris said.
Others at Thursday’s talk asked Morris about the state’s preferred reliance on fossil fuels for the projects, the constitutionality of diverting taxes away from localities and the lack of transparency for residents within these processes.
Morris said the state, through Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s proposed 50 by 50 Power Generation Plan, wants to “embrace” all energy sources, including renewable energy. While that plan does not outright ban reliance on renewables — like solar and wind power — it relies heavily on fossil fuels specifically.
On the constitutionality of the law, Morris said he knows it might sound “flippant,” but “all laws are considered constitutional until a judge says they’re not.”
Morris said his job is to apply the law as it currently stands. While he may have some say in improvements that can be made, he emphasized that it is not within his purview to change legislation like House Bill 2014, which created his office and the state’s certified microgrid program in 2025.
And on transparency, Morris said that while his office has “a responsibility to be transparent on everything that we can,” he defended the use of confidentiality agreements that keep key data center details out of public view as standard practice for any company the state is trying to recruit.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
by Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch
June 11, 2026
by Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch
June 11, 2026
Chris Morris, director of the West Virginia Data Economy Office, said Thursday that the state has received its first application to certify a microgrid tied to data center developments.
To date, two proposed data center projects — one in Putnam County and another in Berkeley County — have been certified and approved by the state. Neither of those projects, at this point, include microgrids, which are energy grids used to power data centers behind the meters of existing electric utilities.
Morris made the announcement during a lunchtime lecture at the University of Charleston’s Downtown Innovation Hub on Thursday. In an interview after the talk, he said he could not provide any more details on what developer applied for microgrid certification. The application, he said, was sent to the state’s Department of Commerce “this week.”
He did confirm, however, that the state has yet to receive an application for certification from Fundamental Data, a developer proposing to build a massive natural gas-powered data center complex between Thomas and Davis in Tucker County, West Virginia.
“We have not received any application at this point from that company,” Morris said.
During his lecture, Morris repeated several of the points he made to lawmakers while presenting during informal House meetings last month. He reiterated that several of the projects often discussed in media and online — in Tucker, Mason and Mingo counties — have yet to be approved by the state. He also acknowledged, again, that the state could do better at communicating with communities on projects that have been approved for certification as well as the overall process for being certified.
Talking after Thursday’s lecture, Morris said his office and others within state Commerce related to data centers are working to improve public relations and communications around the developments.
The office, he said, has updated its website to share more information about the High Impact Data Center certification program. As updated, the information presented is largely geared toward attracting developers to the state by emphasizing the benefits of locating in West Virginia.
Part of the strategy for the office, Morris said, is giving more talks (like the one on Thursday) and meeting with residents who want to learn more in order to correct what state officials see as “misinformation” around the developments.
Morris said that, “in the not-too-distant future,” the state plans to distribute a Request for Interest for localities to flag if there is a site near them that could be developed into a data center. Location, he said, is “the most important” factor for him to consider when a developer applies to certify a project.
Morris said he understood why residents across West Virginia are wary of proposed data center developments. He said he viewed it as his responsibility to ensure that the state — through his office — practiced due diligence in reviewing and approving projects, ensuring that those that are approved are from companies with proven experience in the field and a commitment to the communities they locate in.
But for advocates who are working with communities and residents where projects — approved or not — are located, questions and concerns remain paramount.
Morgan King, the climate manager for West Virginia Citizen Action Group, asked Morris whether he had visited a data center complex anywhere that actually runs on a microgrid.
King emphasized that some of the concerns being voiced by residents — like potential noise and light pollution, emissions from the power sources and more — are specific to projects reliant on microgrids. The impacts on a community, she said, are different when a natural gas plant is included in a project versus when it’s only a data center.
Morris said he had yet to visit a facility that included a microgrid, but certainly would in the future as part of his “due diligence.”
“The last thing I want to do is go out and approve 100 projects, see 95% of them fail, and then we have communities that are in turmoil and upset all over the state,” Morris said.
Others at Thursday’s talk asked Morris about the state’s preferred reliance on fossil fuels for the projects, the constitutionality of diverting taxes away from localities and the lack of transparency for residents within these processes.
Morris said the state, through Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s proposed 50 by 50 Power Generation Plan, wants to “embrace” all energy sources, including renewable energy. While that plan does not outright ban reliance on renewables — like solar and wind power — it relies heavily on fossil fuels specifically.
On the constitutionality of the law, Morris said he knows it might sound “flippant,” but “all laws are considered constitutional until a judge says they’re not.”
Morris said his job is to apply the law as it currently stands. While he may have some say in improvements that can be made, he emphasized that it is not within his purview to change legislation like House Bill 2014, which created his office and the state’s certified microgrid program in 2025.
And on transparency, Morris said that while his office has “a responsibility to be transparent on everything that we can,” he defended the use of confidentiality agreements that keep key data center details out of public view as standard practice for any company the state is trying to recruit.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
Caity Coyne covers state policy and how it intersects with individuals and communities for West Virginia Watch. She’s been reporting in West Virginia for 10 years, most recently covering public health and the Southern Coalfields for the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. (See full republishing guidelines.)
© West Virginia Watch, 2026
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