The site
The site from above
Power
Power and the grid
None energized or contracted yet · 2,457 MW permitted
On-site dual-fuel engines (117 units)Permitted, not built
permitted nameplate under the state air permit; the developer markets 2.4 GW per campus; its May 2025 plan to grow both campuses to 9.8 GW is unpermitted Court filing · Dec. 2025
Permitted
Not used, not on record, or dropped
- Utility grid Not usednone by design: the developer says the campus takes zero grid electricity Company · Oct. 2026
Getting on the grid
Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.
- March 26, 2025Air permit applications filedTransGas files twin air permit applications for two identical 117-engine campuses, one at Wharncliffe and one at Harless.
- Aug. 18, 2025Public meeting on the draft permitsThe state air regulator hears residents on the draft permits; comments close Aug. 22.
- Oct. 2, 2025Final air permit issuedThe state issues the construction permit for the Wharncliffe plant: 117 engines, 2,457 MW. see Permits
- Not setGas supply: not contractedNo gas supply or pipeline agreement is on record for Wharncliffe; the one announced partner, CNX, belonged to the separate ammonia project and later backed out. Company · Oct. 2026
- Not setFederal permits: none soughtNo Army Corps, wildlife or pipeline filing exists; plaintiffs say they are needed, and the court found that unsupported on the current record. see Permits
- The campus is off-grid by design, so no utility service agreement, interconnection or grid queue position exists. Dataset · Oct. 2026
- Engine make and model are redacted as proprietary in the state permit documents (press). News report · Oct. 2025
- No plant for this campus appears in EIA's federal generator inventory (EIA-860M, Aug. 2026). That inventory covers grid-connected plants only, so an off-grid plant may not be listed yet. State agency · Oct. 2026
On-site generation on file
- Generating units on the permit: 117 high-horsepower reciprocating engines (dual-fuel natural gas / diesel) Court filing · Dec. 2025
Is it running?
Evidence from space
NO2 over the site, net of the rural background, was about the same in July–September 2026 (2 µmol/m²) as a year earlier (0), and the rural background fell 21% (24 to 19). The satellite sees no new combustion large enough to stand out here. On record here: On-site dual-fuel engines (117 units), 2,457 MW, permitted. No rise fits a plant that is not running yet, or runs little; it does not prove either.
NO2 over the campus and over open country (µmol/m²)
What else could explain it
- Cities, highways, oil and gas fields and power plants in or near the box also emit NO2. Comparing the same months a year apart removes steady sources; a new source nearby would not cancel.
- Weather moves NO2 from day to day (wind, sunlight, cloud), and it builds up in winter. Subtracting the background box and comparing the same season a year apart removes most of that.
How this works: the Sentinel-5P satellite measures NO2 in the air over every point on Earth once a day, around 1:30 p.m. local time, in pixels about 5.5 by 3.5 km. NO2 comes from burning fuel (turbines, engines, traffic, power plants), so a rise over a site that open country does not share points to new combustion there. It shows combustion activity, not megawatts. The site box is about 15 km across; the background box is open country about 39 km away. We use only high-quality readings and drop days or weeks when cloud hides more than half of either box. Data: Copernicus Sentinel-5P (ESA), processed with the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem Sentinel Hub statistics service.
Permits
Permits checklist
1 granted · 5 checked, nothing on file
- ✓Air construction permit (117 engines, 2,457 MW) GrantedWest Virginia DEP, Division of Air Quality · Oct. 2, 2025: final permit; make and model redacted News report · Oct. 2025
- –Checked, nothing on file: Appeal of the air permit, Title V operating permit, Federal permits (wetlands, wildlife, pipeline), State high-impact data center certification, County approval or incentive
Risks
What could slow it down
- HighNo tenant, financing or gas supplyNothing on record shows a customer, a lender or a gas contract for the plant. Dataset · Oct. 2026
- HighSponsor track recordCritics say TransGas has announced three Mingo County megaprojects in 17 years without completing one (press). News report · Oct. 2025
- MediumFederal permits not soughtNo wetlands, wildlife or pipeline filing exists; the court found the need unproven so far, but the question may return. see Permits
- MediumNo state certification or county actionThe state's high-impact data center certification was not obtained, and no county approval was located. see Permits
- WatchLocal oppositionResidents, a citizen action group and a conservancy opposed the permits on health, water and transparency grounds. News report · Oct. 2025
Lawsuits
1 case on record
- Filed Dec. 3, 2025; injunction denied Dec. 23, 2025; docket closed June 22, 2026 Hatfield et al. v. TransGas Development Systems et al.U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia Court filing · June 2026ten residents alleged wetlands, wildlife, environmental review and pipeline violations; final order not retrieved
Money
Money on record
Not on record: project debt, equity raise or bonds: as of Oct. 2026, the sponsor is private Dataset · Oct. 2026; tax incentive or abatement: no state certification either Dataset · Oct. 2026; cost of the data-center plants: none stated, the $3B in sponsor materials belongs to the earlier plant on this land Company · Oct. 2026; securities filings by the sponsor: no filings, no federal securities record names the company or campus SEC filing · Oct. 2026
Timeline
What happened, and what is due
SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
- Dec. 2008Site Earlier project: TransGas announces a $4B coal-to-liquids plant at Adams Fork; a 2011 groundbreaking follows and the plant is cancelled (this campus is a separate project) News report · Dec. 2008
- March 26, 2025Permits TransGas files twin air permit applications for two data-center energy campuses, the start of the data-center plan
- May 2025Site A company presentation says both campuses would grow to 9.8 GW in total (unpermitted) News report · March 2026
- Aug. 18, 2025Permits The state holds a public meeting on the draft permits
- Oct. 2, 2025Permits The state issues the final air permit for 117 engines and 2,457 MW News report · Oct. 2025
- Dec. 3, 2025Legal Ten residents sue TransGas and three federal agencies to stop the project Court filing · Dec. 2025
- Dec. 23, 2025Legal A federal judge denies the emergency order and injunction; the air permit stands Court filing · Dec. 2025
- June 22, 2026Legal The lawsuit's docket closes (final order not retrieved) Court filing · June 2026
- 2027Power The developer's marketing claims first power by this year (uncorroborated) Company · Oct. 2026
Construction activity
Satellite captures by quarter
Since March 2022: 66 satellite captures. The chart starts in the first quarter of 2023; 4 earlier records are not drawn.
Satellite
’23
’24
’25
’26
Dot size: records in the quarter, largest = 5. Two-digit years mark each first quarter.
The buildings
Specs
117 engines
28,194 hp each, about 21 MW; two-stroke, dual-fuel gas and diesel with emissions controls
2.4 GW
generation per campus in the developer's marketing; permit allows 2,457 MW
5,000 + 300 jobs
construction and permanent, the sponsor's long-running figures reused from earlier projects
- Mine-pool water: developer plans a geothermal heat sink; critics say project documents allow unlimited draw News report · Oct. 2025
Not on record: IT capacity: the 2,457 MW is generation nameplate: none disclosed News report · Oct. 2026
Who is involved
Owners, partners and builders
Developer
- TransGas Development Systems, LLC: private, New York-based; Adam Victor, president, CEO and manager
- Adams Fork Energy, LLC: West Virginia project affiliate
Design and permitting
- Lagan, Ware Malcomb and JBB: design team named on the developer's site
- Potesta & Associates: prepared the air permit applications
Decision-makers
- West Virginia DEP, Division of Air Quality: issued the permit
- West Virginia Air Quality Board: hears permit appeals
Opponents
- Ten resident plaintiffs, represented by Stephen P. New & Associates
- West Virginia Citizen Action Group and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
Partners on earlier projects, not this one
- Uhde (thyssenkrupp): coal-to-gasoline technology, 2008 to 2011
- CNX Resources: announced ammonia-project gas partner; later backed out
- Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and Haldor Topsoe: ammonia project partners
Still unknown
Open questions
- IT capacity in MW (not disclosed).
- Any tenant, lender or gas supply contract.
- Whether the land is actually controlled (no deed or lease found).
- The final order closing the federal lawsuit.
Where this comes from
290 records from 30 documents
Drawn from news reports, public and commercial datasets, state agency records, court filings, company statements, securities filings, our own analysis and satellite captures, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.
News report 12Dataset 7State agency 7Court filing 3Company 3SEC filing 1Analysis 1Satellite 0
Evidence
Every quote behind this page
Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.
Power (57)
- Legacy EPA ECHO air registration: TRANSGAS DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS, LLC, WHARNCLIFFE, ECHO Registry ID 110070891003, WV SourceID WV00005900102“TRANSGAS DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS, LLC, WHARNCLIFFE; NAICS 324199 325311”State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade A
- TransGas filed a Rule 7.1 disclosure statement and a motion to dismiss the complaint with prejudice under Rule 12(b)(1) and (6)“Filing 10 — MOTION by TransGas Development Systems, LLC to Dismiss #1 Complaint With Prejudice Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and (6)”Court filing · Jan. 2026 · grade A
- Gas lateral: none identified, no pipeline lateral, interconnect or FERC docket for this campus in any record checked; plaintiffs allege new or expanded FERC-regulated pipeline capacity is required, which the district co“Nor do Plaintiffs provide any factual support for the claim that the projects will involve the Construction, modification, or extension of interstate natural-gas facilities”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Federal permits (CWA 404 / ESA / FERC): none initiated or issued in the public record as of the Dec 3, 2025 complaint (plaintiffs' counsel searched USACE ORM, FERC eLibrary and FWS IPaC); the district court held Dec 23,“no federal agency has initiated or received any application for the required ESA consultation, CWA §404 permitting, NEPA review, or Natural Gas Act pipeline approval for this Project”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Judge Robert C. Chambers denied the TRO and preliminary injunction without prejudice (Doc. 8): notice defects, likelihood of success and irreparable harm not established; state air permits stand while the case proceeds“The Court DENIES both motions without prejudice because Plaintiffs failed to (1) satisfy the notice requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65, (2) establish that they are likely to succeed on the merits”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Source record“Defendant TransGas Development Systems, LLC is the project developer proposing a 117-engine power plant and ammonia facility with associated data centers near Wharncliffe”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Engine count: 117 engines“Defendant TransGas Development Systems, LLC is the project developer proposing a 117-engine power plant and ammonia facility with associated data centers near Wharncliffe”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Developer: TransGas Development Systems, LLC (New York-based private developer; air permittee for R13-3714 and R13-3715)“Defendant TransGas Development Systems, LLC is the project developer proposing a 117-engine power plant and ammonia facility with associated data centers near Wharncliffe”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Power plan: onsite, off-grid microgrid: 117 dual-fuel reciprocating engines behind the meter, no grid service“two large natural-gas-fired power plants, which together function as a self-contained micro-grid that generates its own electricity rather than using the public utility grid”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Generating units on the permit: 117 engines“it will emit large quantities of air pollutants from 117 high-horsepower engines”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- HB 2014 certification: NOT CERTIFIED, no HB 2014 microgrid-district or high-impact data center certification for TransGas / Adams Fork exists in any public record checked; the air permits proceeded as ordinary 45 CSR 13“multiple federal and state requirements — Endangered Species Act §7 consultation, Clean Water Act §404 permitting, National Environmental Policy Act review, federal natural-gas pipeline approvals, and required local land-use authorization — have not been satisfied”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- On-site power technology: reciprocating engines (two-stroke, dual-fuel natural gas / diesel) with SCR; no separate backup generator fleet per the sponsor (dual-fuel engines provide redundancy)“1S – 117S, 1E – 117E, Engine 1 – Engine 117, 2026, 28,194 HP (each), 1C – 117C”State agency · Oct. 2025 · grade A
- Conditions of approval: air permit conditions include: Title V (45 CSR 30) operating permit application due within 12 months after commencement of operation; engine notification/startup reporting; permit appealable to th“The Title V (45CSR30) application will be due within twelve (12) months after the date of the commencement of the operation or activity (activities) authorized by this permit”State agency · Oct. 2025 · grade A
- On-site generation: 2,925 MW“each generator having a nameplate capacity of 25 MWe; 117 units x 25 MWe = 2,925 MWe (formula; count and rating from the permit application)”State agency · March 2025 · grade A
- On-site generation: 1,796 MW“the engines will be run at 75% power only. Therefore, the continuously delivered power will be 1,796 MW”State agency · March 2025 · grade A
- On-site generation: 2,925 MW“each generator having a nameplate capacity of 25 MWe; 117 units x 25 MWe = 2,925 MWe (formula; count and rating from the permit application)”State agency · March 2025 · grade A
- On-site generation: 1,796 MW“the engines will be run at 75% power only. Therefore, the continuously delivered power will be 1,796 MW”State agency · March 2025 · grade A
- Nearest substation: none mapped on the map within 30 kmMeasured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Nearest power line of 345 kV or more: 25.02 km - Culloden - Wyoming 765kV line (Appalachian Power Company)Measured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Nearest power line of 138 kV: 9.87 km - Ragland Loop 138 kV (Appalachian Power Company)Measured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Nearest gas pipeline: 1.88 km - Columbia Gas Transmission (Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC)Measured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Name: Adams Fork Data Campus (Wharncliffe), one of two TransGas Adams Fork data-center energy campuses; the sponsor markets this campus as Adams Fork Energy“Adams Fork Energy — Air Permit Received — 1000++ Acres secured, optioned, available”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Acres: 1000+ acres claimed secured, optioned or available for this campus (company marketing figure; no deed or lease in the public record checked)“Adams Fork Energy — Air Permit Received — 1000++ Acres secured, optioned, available”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Stated campus size: 2,400 MW“2.4 GW of natural gas generation for 24/7/365 power at each campus”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Utility service: none, the project takes no utility service (off-grid, behind-the-meter design) MW“Our design is behind the meter, meaning we will bring our own generation equipment and take zero local or grid electricity”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Utility: none (off-grid)“Our design is behind the meter, meaning we will bring our own generation equipment and take zero local or grid electricity”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Grid operator: PJM territory; the project is not grid-connected and holds no interconnection“No PJM queue position, utility interconnection or ESA exists for an off-grid project”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Interconnection status: none, no interconnection request, queue position or utility service agreement found or required under the off-grid design“Interconnection searches returned no record; plaintiffs allege even the gas pipeline needs federal approval that has not been sought”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Role of the on-site plant: prime (sole power supply; island-mode operation)“Designed for island mode operation, eliminates dependence on grid volatility and demand and transmission charges”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Gas supplier: none contracted in the public record, no gas supply or transportation agreement is disclosed for the Wharncliffe campus; the sponsor claims local gas access generally and a TransCanada (Columbia/TCO) line“One site sits on the TransCanada Pipeline and both near excess local gas and gas transportation networks”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Electric service agreement signed: none, no utility electric service agreement (off-grid project); the state alternative, HB 2014 certification, was not obtained (see hb2014 certification)“No ESA, PPA or load contract exists in the public record checked”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Owner companies: Adams Fork Energy, LLC (TransGas affiliate and WV project company for the Adams Fork complex)“there are now three permitted TransGas projects under development; Adams Fork Energy, LLC in West Virginia and in Buffalo Creek Energy, LLC and Chisolm Energy LLC in Kentucky”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Phases: modular build-out claimed: scalable from 20 MW to 2.4 GW per campus in modular data-center pods; no phase plan, building count or square footage disclosed in any primary document“Modular data center pods allow phased build-out while possessing both cost efficiency and 6-Sigma reliability for the campus”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Current target date: none published by any authority; sponsor marketing claims first power by 2027 (18-24 months to first power), uncorroborated by any financing, tenant, equipment order or construction evidence“First power by 2027. No wait to connect to the grid. Equipment allows scaled build over time”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Construction stage: none, no construction start, site work or groundbreaking reported as of Oct 18, 2026; final air permits issued Oct 2, 2025; the federal complaint alleges intent to begin ground disturbance“No construction-start report exists in the indexed sources as of Oct 18, 2026”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Stage: paper with permits, the campus holds a final state air permit for a 2,457 MW engine plant, but there is no tenant, no disclosed financing, no gas-supply arrangement in the record, no HB 2014 certification, no fed“the company has obtained state-level construction permits and publicly presented two project locations at the September 18, 2025 WVDEP meeting”Court filing · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Paper or real: Real: a final WV DEP air permit (R13-3715, Oct 2, 2025) for an identical-twin 117-engine plant, a second twin permit next door (R13-3714), and an active federal lawsuit. Paper: everything else, tenant, fi“In October 2025, West Virginia DEP (DEP) issued Construction Permit R13-3714 authorizing 117 engines, each with a design capacity over of 28,000 horsepower”Court filing · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Sponsor's live marketing site claims equipment on order and first power by 2027 for both campuses; no OEM announcement, delivery record, financing or construction evidence corroborates either claim in any source checked“Fast-track construction – first power within 18-24 months – equipment on order”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Generator units: 117 engines“Defendant TransGas Development Systems, LLC is the project developer proposing a 117-engine power plant and ammonia facility with associated data centers near Wharncliffe”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade B
- Generating units on the permit: 117 high-horsepower reciprocating engines (dual-fuel natural gas / diesel)“The Project, as proposed, implicates multiple environmental concerns requiring federal review because it will emit large quantities of air pollutants from 117 highhorsepower engines”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade B
- Regional gas context (not a TransGas project): Columbia Gas Transmission (TC Energy TCO) sought FERC blanket authorization to relocate portions of Lines KA West and SM-123 in Mingo County, the existing TCO corridor the“All of the above facilities are located in Mingo County, West Virginia (Line KA West and Line SM-123 Relocation Project)”State agency · Nov. 2025 · grade B
- On-site generation: 2,457 MW“each of 2 sites has 117 reciprocating engines (RICE), each 28,194 hp / 21 MW max, aggregate 2,457 MW per site, dual-fuel gas/diesel, off-grid”grade B
- Ceremonial groundbreaking for the coal-to-gasoline plant at Wharncliffe with thyssenkrupp/Uhde; construction barely began and the project was cancelled in 2011 (ORVI); the site sat dormant for over a decade“TransGas Development Systems, LLC, has begun construction of America's largest Coal-to-Gasoline complex, the Adams Fork Energy plant in Mingo County, West Virginia. The ceremony was conducted today on the project site at Wharncliffe”Company · May 2011 · grade B
- IT capacity: none disclosed, no IT-load figure appears in the permit record, the sponsor's marketing, or any coverage checked; the 2,457 MW in circulation is generation nameplate, not IT capacity“Each campus would have the capacity to consume 2,457 Megawatts of electricity”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Time to service (months): 24+ months at minimum even on the sponsor's own 18-24-month claim, and not credible on the current record: no financing, tenant, gas arrangement or construction start exists“Fast-track construction – first power within 18-24 months – equipment on order”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Positive-control signal: HB 2014 certifications ARE publicly announced when granted, Bedington/Penzance (first, Feb 26, 2026), Nscale Monarch and Starwood Digital Ventures (announced Sept 2026, ~$69.2B/~2 GW and ~$12B/~“Governor Morrisey announced that West Virginia has approved High Impact Data Center certification for NScale. Phase One of the project represents a projected $69.2 billion investment, will require approximately 2 gigawatts of power”News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
- TransGas May 2025 presentation: plan to expand the two campuses to 9.8 GW total data-center capacity (from 4.9 GW permitted combined), unpermitted aspiration that would add another ~218 Bcf/yr of gas demand (ORVI estima“In a May 2025 presentation posted to their website, parent company TransGas Development Systems, LLC stated that it plans to expand data center capacity to 9.8 GW”News report · March 2026 · grade C
- Moved from campus facts field 'expansion claim': sponsor has presented eventual expansion of the two campuses to 9.8 GW total data-center capacity (May 2025 presentation, per ORVI), unpermitted; permitted combined gener“In a May 2025 presentation posted to their website, parent company TransGas Development Systems, LLC stated that it plans to expand data center capacity to 9.8 GW”News report · March 2026 · grade C
- Aliases: Adams Fork Energy; Twisted Gun Golf Course site; Adams Fork Data Center Energy Campus (application-era name used for the TransGas projects)“one on the former Twisted Gun Golf Course in Wharncliffe, the other at the Harless Industrial Park near the Mingo-Logan county line”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Generator maker and model: not disclosed, engine make/model is redacted as proprietary information in the DEP permit documents; the sponsor describes marine-type two-stroke engines from an unnamed premiere manufacturer“Critical details in the DEP's air quality permits have been redacted, with officials citing proprietary information”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Water use stated: mine-pool water from beneath the golf course site for cooling and operations; project documents described as allowing unlimited draw from underground mine pools (Highlands, from project documents); comp“TransGas intends to draw unlimited amounts of water from underground mine pools beneath the golf course to cool equipment and run operations”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Jobs figures attached to the data-center story (5,000 temporary construction jobs, 300 permanent roles) are the sponsor's long-standing Adams Fork marketing numbers, used identically for the CTL and ammonia plants, not“While TransGas has touted 5,000 temporary construction jobs and 300 permanent roles, critics note that the company has announced major projects in Mingo County three times over the last 17 years”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Interconnection status: Off-grid by design - no grid interconnection and no grid load position: TransGas Development Systems, LLC's campus at the former Twisted Gun Golf Course, Wharncliffe, Mingo County WV is to be powe“On October 2, 2025, the DAQ officially issued air permits R13-3714 and R13-3715, authorizing TransGas to construct and operate the two proposed off-grid natural gas-fired power plants”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- generator interconnection request (state NSR air permit, dedicated off-grid plan: NSR construction permit issued Oct 2, 2025“On October 2, 2025, the DAQ officially issued air permits R13-3714 and R13-3715, authorizing TransGas to construct and operate the two proposed off-grid natural gas-fired power plants”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Announced: March 2025“The company applied for air permits from the DEP in March for their projects, which they called the “Adams Fork Data Center Energy Campus” in their applications.”News report · Aug. 2025 · grade C
- TransGas announced the pivot of the Adams Fork site to a massive gas-fired ammonia plant; a JV with the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe had been announced in 2022, with CNX Resources (gas/sequestration) and Haldor Topsoe (t“The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is joining a New York-based energy firm in the development of a multi-billion dollar clean ammonia production facility in West Virginia”News report · Dec. 2023 · grade C
- TransGas announced the Adams Fork coal-to-liquids plant near Wharncliffe ($3-4B, 756,000 gal/day gasoline, ~3M tons/yr coal); Gov. Manchin publicly called the planned IPO financing a longshot“In December 2008, TransGas Development Systems announced plans to build a $4 billion coal-to-liquids plant in Mingo County, West Virginia”News report · Dec. 2008 · grade C
Money and contracts (14)
- Tenants: none, no tenant, LOI, end user or customer named in the permit record, the sponsor's marketing, or any coverage checked; the sponsor markets power capacity to prospective customers“No tenant, financing or construction-start report exists in the indexed sources as of Oct 18, 2026”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Tenant status: none found“No tenant, LOI or end user named for the data center in any source checked”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Stated capital cost: none stated for the data-center campuses; the $3 billion figure in sponsor materials belongs to the predecessor Adams Fork plant (coal-to-liquids, later ammonia), not to the data-center plants USD“The Adams Fork Energy, LLC project is a $3 billion facility located on approximately 150 acres off the new King Coal Highway just west of Gilbert, West Virginia”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Financing: none found for the data-center plants, no project debt, equity raise, bond issue or tax-exempt financing disclosed in any source checked; the only bond history is the WV EDA's April 2011 approval of $3B for t“Financing searches returned no instrument for the data-center plants”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Incentives: none found, no PILOT, abatement or county/state incentive agreement located; HB 2014 certification (which carries the Act's tax treatment and local preemption) was not obtained“No incentive agreement for TransGas / Adams Fork appears in the sources checked”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- tenant lease / power offtake: status none found, no tenant lease, PPA, compute agreement or offtake of any kind disclosed for either Adams Fork campus as of Oct 18, 2026“No tenant, financing or construction-start report exists in the indexed sources as of Oct 18, 2026”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- electric service agreement: status none, off-grid project; no utility ESA exists or is planned; sponsor states the design takes zero grid electricity“Our design is behind the meter, meaning we will bring our own generation equipment and take zero local or grid electricity”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- land control: scope company claim only: 1000++ acres secured, optioned, available for this campus; no deed, lease or option for the Twisted Gun site was located in the public record checked (the golf course land was deve“Adams Fork Energy — Air Permit Received — 1000++ Acres secured, optioned, available”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- termination / cancellation / condition clauses: status FINDING: no termination, cancellation, condition-precedent or deadline clause can be recorded for this campus because no project agreement (tenant, gas, power, land,“No project agreement for the Adams Fork data-center plants has been filed or published in any source checked”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- gas supply agreement: status none found, no executed gas supply or transportation agreement in the public record for the Wharncliffe campus; the only announced gas partnership (CNX Resources, 2023) attached to the separ“This project was originally part of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) but its partner CNX later backed out and the project is no longer part of this larger effort”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- joint development agreement (related ammonia project): scope / partners 2022 joint development of the Adams Fork clean ammonia project (separate facility, permit R13-3622); announced partners CNX Resources (gas supply an“Other key partners on the project include CNX Resources to provide natural gas and carbon sequestration services, as well as Denmark-based Haldor Topsoe, which will provide ammonia production technology”News report · Dec. 2022 · grade C
- bond authorization (predecessor project): amount / scope WV EDA approved issuance of $3B in bonds for the Adams Fork coal-to-gasoline plant (Apr 2011); no evidence the bonds were ever sold or the financing closed; the au“In April 2011, the WV Economic Development Authority approved the issuance of $3 billion in bonds for the project”News report · April 2011 · grade C
- site lease (predecessor project): scope 800-acre site in the southern coalfields leased from the Mingo County Development Authority for the 2008 coal-to-liquids plant; whether any leasehold survives for the current Twist“proposing to build the plant on an 800-acre (324 ha) site in the state's southern coalfields leased from the Mingo County Development Authority”News report · Oct. 2008 · grade C
- technology license (predecessor project): scope licensing agreement for the PRENFLO gasifier reactor for the coal-to-gasoline plant (2008); EPC agreement with SK Engineering & Construction followed; both attach to the ca“TGDS has signed a licensing agreement with Uhde Corporation of America for the use of the new PRENFLO gasifier reactor”News report · Oct. 2008 · grade C
Permits and government (20)
- Court denied the TRO/preliminary injunction on Dec 23, 2025 and the docket terminated Jun 22, 2026 (termination per CourtListener docket metadata; final-order text not retrieved). The federal legal block on the project i“MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER denying without prejudice Plaintiffs' MOTION for a Preliminary Injunction and MOTION for a Temporary Restraining Order”Court filing · June 2026 · grade A
- Plaintiffs noticed subpoenas to WVDEP and the WV Division of Natural Resources (discovery into the state permitting record)“Filing 13 — NOTICE of Issuance of Subpoenas by plaintiffs for West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection”Court filing · Jan. 2026 · grade A
- Public meeting / project presentation: DEP public meeting at which TransGas presented the Adams Fork Energy Project; the presentation (p.11) showed the Twisted Gun location in Wharncliffe“WVDEP publicly presented detailed project materials and facility descriptions at the September 18, 2025 WVDEP meeting”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- NSR construction permit (45 CSR 13), permit identity: permit-to-site assignment established by pinpoint citation in the federal complaint: R13-3715 is the 24-page Oct 2, 2025 permit whose §4.1.5 covers aggregate engine“Page 16 of 24 of 10/2/2025 DEP Permit R13-3715 to TransGas. See §4.1.5 – Maximum Aggregate Total Annual Emissions from the Engines”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- WVDEP public meeting (Adams Fork Energy Project presentation): TransGas / DEP presentation of the Adams Fork Energy Project; slide 11 showed the Twisted Gun location in Wharncliffe; residents pressed air, water and trans“the company has obtained state-level construction permits and publicly presented two project locations at the September 18, 2025 WVDEP meeting”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- NSR construction permit (45 CSR 13), TWIN PERMIT, cross-reference: FINAL permit issued Oct 2, 2025 to the Adams Fork Harless Data Center Energy Campus, Plant ID 059-00133, off 22 Mine Road, Holden, Mingo County (37.7530“Permit R13-3714 Page 22 of 22 — TransGas Development Systems, LLC • Adams Fork Harless Data Center Energy Campus”State agency · Oct. 2025 · grade A
- Administrative appeal of permit: no appeal located in the sources checked as of Oct 18, 2026 (the permit is appealable by comment participants under W. Va. Code 22-5-14; contrast Ridgeline R13-3713, appealed as 25-02-AQB“Air Quality Board appeal searches returned no TransGas appeal”Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- NSR construction permit application (45 CSR 13): twin Regulation 13 applications filed for the two Adams Fork campuses (prepared by Potesta & Associates, Inc.; application document dated Mar 24, 2025)“R13-3715”grade B
- Public meeting (draft permits): DEP public meeting on the TransGas permit requests (announced by the Herald-Dispatch Aug 13, 2025); comment period ran through late August 2025“comments closed 2025-08-22 (Herald-Dispatch, Aug 13, 2025)”grade B
- WVDEP Division of Air Quality public meeting: Public meeting on the draft Regulation 13 permits R13-3714 / R13-3715 for the two TransGas data-center energy campuses (announced in the Herald-Dispatch, Aug 13, 2025)“comments closed 2025-08-22”grade B
- WVDEP public meeting (Gilbert, WV): Public meeting on the TransGas coal-to-liquids air permit application (predecessor project at the Adams Fork site)“The application to construct the facility has been reviewed by senior staff for more than a year, and was the subject of a public meeting on December 17 in Gilbert, W.Va.”State agency · Jan. 2009 · grade B
- WV DEP issued the ammonia plant permit (R13-3622, Mar 2024); by 2025-2026 CNX had backed out and the project had left the ARCH2 hydrogen hub, the gas-supply partnership once announced for the Adams Fork complex no longe“This project was originally part of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) but its partner CNX later backed out and the project is no longer part of this larger effort”News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
- Related permit (separate facility, context): FINAL air permit issued Mar 2024 for the co-located Adams Fork ammonia production facility (separate TransGas project; up to ~13M t/yr ammonia at full build), recorded here b“First came a March 2024 permit to build the largest ammonia plant in the country”News report · March 2026 · grade C
- Sister permit: R13-3714 (Harless/Holden facility 059-00133); R13-3715 is the paired permit issued the same day“On October 2, 2025, the DAQ officially issued air permits R13-3714 and R13-3715, authorizing TransGas to construct and operate the two proposed off-grid natural gas power plants in Mingo County”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Address: Former Twisted Gun Golf Course, Wharncliffe, Mingo County, West Virginia (sponsor research on the DEP filings gives 2002 Twisted Gun Rd; not re-verified against the R13-3715 permit face in this pass)“one on the former Twisted Gun Golf Course in Wharncliffe”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- NSR construction permit (45 CSR 13): FINAL permit issued Oct 2, 2025, construction and operation of the Wharncliffe (Twisted Gun) off-grid engine plant and data-center energy campus; 24 pages; §4.1.5 sets maximum aggreg“On October 2, 2025, the DAQ officially issued air permits R13-3714 and R13-3715, authorizing TransGas to construct and operate the two proposed off-grid natural gas power plants in Mingo County”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Community meeting, Wharncliffe Park (organized by WV Citizen Action Group): Residents of Mingo and Logan counties organized against the permits; health, water and secrecy concerns; no company answers recorded“Dozens of residents from Mingo and Logan counties gathered last month in Wharncliffe Park for an informal meeting led by organizers from the West Virginia Citizen Action Group”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Air permit: WV DEP NSR permit R13-3715 issued Oct. 2, 2025 (Adams Fork Data Center Energy Campus, Wharncliffe)“filed applications with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to construct two off-grid natural gas-fired power plants and associated data centers - one on the former Twisted Gun Golf Course in Wharncliffe”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- NSR construction permit for the Adams Fork Data Center Energy Campus (Twisted Gu: construction permit issued“On October 2, 2025, the DAQ officially issued air permits R13-3714 and R13-3715, authorizing TransGas to construct and operate the two proposed off-grid natural gas power plants in Mingo County”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- WV Air Quality Board remanded the predecessor CTL plant's air permit (final revised permit had issued Feb 26, 2010; Sierra Club et al. appealed); DEP then petitioned Kanawha County Circuit Court over the remand, the spo“On March 28, 2011, the West Virginia Air Quality Board remanded the air permit for the proposed TransGas coal-to-liquids facility to the state Department of Environmental Protection”News report · May 2011 · grade C
Legal (4)
- Federal lawsuit: Hatfield et al. v. TransGas Development Systems, LLC et al., S.D.W.Va. No. 3:25-cv-00714, filed Dec 3, 2025: residents sued TransGas, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USFWS and FERC under ESA/NEPA/CWA S“MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER denying without prejudice Plaintiffs' MOTION for a Preliminary Injunction and MOTION for a Temporary Restraining Order”Court filing · June 2026 · grade A
- Lawsuits: Hatfield et al. v. TransGas Development Systems, LLC et al., No. 3:25-cv-00714 (S.D. W.Va., Huntington Div.), filed Dec 3, 2025 by 10 local residents against TransGas, USACE, FWS and FERC, ESA §7, CWA §404, NE“MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER denying without prejudice Plaintiffs' 4 MOTION for a Preliminary Injunction and 5 MOTION for a Temporary Restraining Order. Signed by Judge Robert C. Chambers on 12/23/2025”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Federal ESA/NEPA/CWA suit filed against the Adams Fork project (TransGas, USACE, USFWS, FERC as defendants)“Defendant TransGas Development Systems, LLC is the project developer proposing a 117-engine power plant and ammonia facility with associated data centers near Wharncliffe”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
- Ten Mingo/Logan-area residents sued TransGas, USACE, FWS and FERC in the S.D. W.Va. (No. 3:25-cv-00714), alleging ESA §7, CWA §404, NEPA and Natural Gas Act violations and seeking to enjoin the Adams Fork project“Plaintiffs bring this action for declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the commencement of construction activities for the Adams Fork Energy project”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade A
Site and other (5)
- County code: 54059 (Mingo County, WV)“Adams Fork Harless Data Center Energy Campus — 059-00133”State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Cooling: geothermal / mine-pool heat sink (company claim): mine-pool water used as a heat sink in a geothermal cooling circuit; claimed PUE close to 1.0“Sits on top a 1.5 trillion-gallon fresh-water reserve for geothermal cooling and a PUE of close to 1.0”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Site location descriptor: Twisted Gun Golf Course area, Wharncliffe, Mingo County, WV“West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, "Adams Fork Energy Project - Public Meeting Presentation" (Sept. 18, 2025), at pp. 11 (showing the Twisted Gun location in Wharncliffe)”Court filing · Dec. 2025 · grade B
- Sponsor credit: private, unrated; no outside equity sponsor, parent or backer disclosed; sponsor has announced three Mingo County megaprojects in 17 years without completing one“critics note that the company has announced major projects in Mingo County three times over the last 17 years — without completing any of them”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
- Opposition: organized local opposition: WV Citizen Action Group community meetings in Wharncliffe (dozens of residents, 2025); WV Highlands Conservancy advocacy and comment campaign; 10 Mingo/Logan residents as federal p“Dozens of residents from Mingo and Logan counties gathered last month in Wharncliffe Park for an informal meeting led by organizers from the West Virginia Citizen Action Group”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
Imagery and records: Satellite imagery: Maxar via Esri World Imagery Wayback.