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Data centers in Berkeley County, West Virginia: 1 project mapped
Chelsey Rogers grew up on Scrabble Road in Bedington, where the stars were "so innumerable in the night sky" and her father taught his children about them. Her father, brother and nephew still live there, about a mile, as the crow flies, from where Penzance Management plans a $4 billion data center campus. "I'm fearful that light pollution will muddy the skies," she told a Berkeley County Commission town hall in March 2026.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced the project on February 26, 2026: Penzance, a Washington, D.C.-area real estate firm, would build the Bedington Campus on 548 acres it had bought in Falling Waters and Bedington. It would have about 1.9 million square feet and at least 600 megawatts of critical IT capacity at full build-out. It was the first project certified as "high impact" under House Bill 2014, the state's 2025 data center law, and Morrisey said it would likely draw power from the grid rather than build its own plant. He estimated about 1,000 construction jobs and at least 125 permanent ones. No tenant was named. "We find land, entitle land, work with municipalities to get what we need... and then partner with hyperscalers that will effectively be our tenants," founder Victor Tolkan said. Officials could not say when it would break ground, what the power contracts would look like or what the environmental effects would be, and under the certification rules Penzance's engineering and environmental studies will likely not be made public.
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The county had little warning. Commission President Eddie Gochenour praised the project at the announcement but later told residents he and other officials learned of it only days before it was made public. He had opposed HB 2014 in 2025 because it strips local zoning power and sends most of the tax revenue to the state. More than 300 people packed the Spring Mills High School auditorium on March 20. "We've had a data center dumped on our heads," said David Pallente. With the Eastern Panhandle in drought, Chantele Mack, a state Senate candidate, said: "We have already seen creeks, springs and wells running dry." Another candidate, Bryan McKinney, proposed that Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson counties hold a referendum on seceding from West Virginia. Barrett Robinson, who lives on family farmland near Bedington, said: "I am not against data centers... but I am against it happening behind my back."
In May 2026 Penzance gave its answers at a chamber of commerce lunch in Martinsburg. Partner John Kusturiss said the site's main advantage is the largest electrical substation in West Virginia, and that FirstEnergy had indicated it has enough capacity that "this project doesn't cause rates to go up." He said the campus would draw up to 60 percent of its water from treated wastewater, reclaiming some of the roughly 1.1 million gallons a day a nearby plant now discharges into Opequon Creek, with on-site storage for summer peaks. He also said a tenant announcement is expected later this year. Chris Morris, head of the state Data Economy Office, conceded: "We have not communicated as well with local folks as we could and we will do better." The rules offer residents little recourse. Del. Chris Anders, R-Berkeley, who voted for HB 2014, co-sponsored a 2026 amendment to the certification rules that would have limited water use, required public reporting, blocked rate increases and set a 500-foot buffer. Other House Republicans resisted it, saying developers would not come if it passed. Where the rest of the water would come from, who the tenant is and when construction would start have not been disclosed.
Data center projects on record in Berkeley County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Martinsburg1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedington CampusMartinsburg | Penzance Management | Proposed | 600 MW |
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Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.