Data center profile · Lollie Road near Conway Municipal Airport, Conway, Faulkner County, Arkansas

Conway data center (Forgelight Ventures)

Forgelight Ventures' $1 billion, 300,000 sq ft first building on Lollie Road in Conway, Arkansas, for an unnamed Fortune 100 company; 30-year tax abatement promised.

MOU signed, early stage. Conway's council approved a nonbinding memorandum of understanding in Apr. 2025 for a $1 billion first building for an unnamed Fortune 100 company. No construction, state permit, utility commission filing or total load figure has been found since.
$1B
investment for the first building
about 300,000 sq ft (city memorandum)
65% for 30 years
property tax abatement the city agreed to support
for each data-center building
10 MW
medium-voltage service from the city utility
initial service only, not total load; high-voltage power via Entergy
~50 jobs
new jobs promised
city memorandum
OperatorForgelight Ventures LLC (site company for an unnamed end user)
CustomerUnnamed U.S. Fortune 100 company (city and press)
Planned IT capacity8 MW at full build-out (our estimate from the company or utility power figure)
First building in serviceOur estimate: 2029 or later (no dated power path yet).
Next stepCity ordinance with Entergy Arkansas for high-voltage service (no date set)
Power

Power and the grid

None energized or contracted yet

Conway Corporation medium-voltage service (13.8 kV)Memorandum terms
10 MW
initial service expanding to 10 MW under the memorandum; not the campus total Local government · April 2025
Proposed
Other sources, size not disclosed

Getting on the grid

Permits

Permits checklist

1 granted · 4 checked, nothing on file

Approvals the campus needs under the city memorandum, and what we found.

Risks

What could slow it down

Money

Money on record

$1B
investment for the first building
city memorandum Local government · April 2025
65%
property tax abatement for 30 years
through bond structures, per the memorandum Local government · April 2025
0.75%
franchise fee on high-voltage power
2.5% on the city utility's medium-voltage power Local government · April 2025
$10B / $50B
ceilings on real and personal property under the abatement, not committed investment
News report · April 2025
Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. June 26, 2024
    Paper trail Forgelight Ventures LLC registered in Delaware and Arkansas
  2. April 1, 2025
    Permits City council approves the memorandum of understanding, 8-0, at a special meeting News report · April 2025
  3. April 9, 2025
    Site The local development corporation declines to name the company behind the project (press) News report · April 2025
  4. June 2, 2026
    Paper trail Press reports Forgelight's organizer also set up the company behind a separate Little Rock data-center project News report · June 2026
The buildings

Specs

300,000 sq ft first data-center building, with more possible. Local government · April 2025

Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Developer
  • Forgelight Ventures LLC: site company for the unnamed end user
  • Michael Montfort: organizer of Forgelight (press)
End user
  • Unnamed U.S. Fortune 100 company
Government
  • City of Conway: memorandum and abatement
  • Conway Development Corporation: local economic development
Utilities
  • Conway Corporation: city utility for water, wastewater, fiber and medium-voltage power
  • Entergy Arkansas: planned high-voltage service
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

44 records from 11 documents

Drawn from news reports, local government records and business registries, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.

News report 9Local government 2
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 (4)
  • Utility service: 10 MW
    “Conway Corporation shall be responsible for providing a detailed breakdown of cost and schedule to provide initial 13.8kV Medium Voltage service to the Site and expand to 10 MW of MV service to the Site”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • Power split in the MOU: Conway Corporation medium-voltage 13.8kV service (2.5% franchise fee) expanding to 10 MW; high-voltage service at 230kV and up via an Entergy Arkansas ordinance at a 0.75% franchise fee - no high-
    “High voltage power service will not be subject to this Medium Voltage Electric Franchise Fee.”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • High-voltage electric service would come through a joint arrangement with Entergy Arkansas under a franchise-fee ordinance still to be adopted; under Arkansas practice, individual large-load agreements require Arkansas P
    “Individual large-load agreements, such as its pending AVAIO Digital contract, are separately negotiated and require Arkansas Public Service Commission approval”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Project identity: Data center campus on Lollie Road near Conway Municipal Airport, Conway, Faulkner County, AR - $1 billion, 300,000 sq ft first building for an undisclosed US Fortune 100 company, fronted by Forgelight V
    “The Conway City Council has approved a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed Fortune 100 company to build a $1 billion, 300,000-SF data center on the city's southwest side.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (13)
  • memorandum of understanding: memorandum of understanding
    “The City agrees to support, including through future legislative and administrative actions consistent herewith, a net real and personal property tax abatement of at least 65% for 30 years (the 'Property Tax Abatement')”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade A
  • memorandum of understanding: tax abatement 65 percent for 30 years
    “a net real and personal property tax abatement of at least 65% for 30 years (the 'Property Tax Abatement') for the Data Center and each additional data center building”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade A
  • Tax abatement agreement: PILOT schedule at least 65% for 30 years percent abated / years
    “a net real and personal property tax abatement of at least 65% for 30 years (the "Property Tax Abatement")”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • Tax abatement agreement: investment commitment (anticipated) 1000000000 USD
    “The Company anticipates the investment to construct and equip the Project will be approximately $1,000,000,000.”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • Tax abatement agreement: job commitments 50 jobs
    “Approximately 50 new high-quality jobs will be created as a result of the Project.”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • MOU: net real and personal property tax abatement of at least 65% for 30 years, delivered through broad/flexible bond structures; investment ceilings in the abatement structure are $10B real property and $50B personal pr
    “The City agrees to support, including through future legislative and administrative actions consistent herewith, a net real and personal property tax abatement of at least 65% for 30 years”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • Committed scale in the MOU: approximately $1,000,000,000 investment and approximately 50 new high-quality jobs for the initial ~300,000 sq ft building; additional buildings possible if conditions allow
    “Approximately 50 new high-quality jobs will be created as a result of the Project.”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • Cooling water contemplated from treated effluent of the Tupelo Bayou Wastewater Treatment Plant (Conway Corp to design/permit/build pump station and pipeline, exempt from the 4.25% water franchise fee); cooling-tower blo
    “Conway Corporation will be responsible for design, permitting and construction of a pump station and pipeline to supply treated effluent from the Tupelo WWTP for use as non-contact cooling water at the Site.”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • The unnamed Conway end user is a Fortune 100 company per the city
    “Conway has agreed to a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed Fortune 100 company to build a $1 billion, 300,000-SF data center in the city”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • memorandum of understanding: water and infrastructure
    “Conway Corp. will build a pump station and pipeline from the Tupelo Bayou Wastewater Treatment Plant to the site to supply noncontact cooling water.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • memorandum of understanding (municipal services): electric service 10 MW
    “The MOU anticipates a joint service arrangement with Entergy Arkansas for high-voltage service; that arrangement would require a separate ordinance and council approval”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • memorandum of understanding (municipal services): water/wastewater service
    “It references water, wastewater, sewer, fiber optic service, medium-voltage power capacity, treated-effluent reuse, a discharge pipeline, and road relocation”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • The MoU lists potential aggregate investment ceilings over its life of up to $10 billion in real property and $50 billion in personal property - ceilings, not committed investment
    “The MOU also lists potential aggregate investment ceilings over the life of the agreement of up to $10 billion in real property and $50 billion in personal property”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
Permits and government (2)
  • IRB/abatement ordinance, City Council took up the Forgelight Ventures MOU (65%+: approved
    “a net real and personal property tax abatement of at least 65% for 30 years (the "Property Tax Abatement")”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • Conway City Council (special meeting):
    “The Conway City Council has approved a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed Fortune 100 company”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
Site and other (5)
  • Road improvements including the relocation of Lollie Road are contemplated in the MOU, with schedule and rights-of-way to be negotiated
    “The City and Company agree that certain road improvements, including the relocation of Lollie Road, will need to be made, which shall benefit the City and the Project”
    Local government · April 2025 · grade B
  • Source record
    “The applicant behind the development is Willowbend Capital LLC.”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Project status: announced mou approved early stage
    “the project remains in the “very early stage.””
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • County code: 05045
    “Conway, in Faulkner County, is located some 30 miles north of Little Rock.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Cooling water may use treated effluent from the Tupelo Bayou Wastewater Treatment Plant; not confirmed in the MoU reporting, and a utility rate study for cooling water is a listed next step.
    “For its cooling water, the project may use treated water from the Tupelo Bayou Wastewater Treatment Plant - though this isn't confirmed yet”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C