Bedington Campus data center, Martinsburg, West Virginia

Penzance Management, a Washington and Northern Virginia real estate firm, plans a $4 billion data center campus, the Bedington Campus, on 548 acres it has bought in Falling Waters and Bedington, in Berkeley County, West Virginia. Governor Patrick Morrisey announced it on February 26, 2026 as the first project certified as a "high impact intelligence center" under House Bill 2014, and said he wants data centers called "intelligence centers" from now on.

At full build the campus would cover about 1.9 million square feet with up to 600 megawatts of IT capacity, more than 1,000 construction jobs and at least 125 full-time jobs. It will likely connect to the existing grid, no tenant has been named, and the engineering and environmental plans Penzance filed with the state will likely not be made public. "We have already identified a significant opportunity to potentially utilize reclaimed water, which will lower costs for the company, save taxpayer money for the county, and preserve our vital natural resources," said Berkeley County Commission president Eddie Gochenour.

Hundreds packed Spring Mills High School for a town hall in March, and more than 25 people spoke about quality of life, noise, property values and harm to water, land and wildlife, many asking how HB 2014 had got past the local delegation. Joanna Gregory, who has lived above Bedington Falls for 50 years, said she is "one of four of the houses that this data center will be surrounding" and warned, "This data center will be built in a flood zone." Christopher Breeze, whose first home 46 years ago was in Bedington, said that "eminent domain is supposed to be for projects that benefit the public, not benefit private corporations." Neither county commissioner addressed the public beyond their opening statements.

At a Martinsburg chamber lunch in May 2026, Penzance partner John Kusturiss said FirstEnergy had indicated the nearby substation had more than enough power for any user, and that treated wastewater now discharged into Opequon Creek, about 1.1 million gallons a day, could meet as much as 60 percent of the campus's water needs. He said a tenant would be announced later in the year. Chris Morris, director of the state's Data Economy Office, conceded: "We have not communicated as well with local folks as we could and we will do better."

Local officials have little say. House Bill 2014 bars counties and towns from adopting or enforcing rules that limit a certified high-impact data center. What remains are state permits: Morris said the project must still go through the Department of Environmental Protection, the State Historic Preservation Office and other agencies. The governor said in February that the date of any opening was yet to be determined.