Kentucky
Another data center project is coming to Kentucky. What to know
A long-idle Century Aluminum smelter in Hancock County will be redeveloped into a data center campus, the company said Feb. 2, announcing the sale of more than 700 acres of industrial land along the Ohio River.
Century halted production at the smelter in 2022, citing “skyrocketing energy costs,” and originally said the curtailment would last only nine to 12 months. More than 600 people worked at the plant, and many received notices of temporary layoff at the time. Century continues to operate a smelter in Henderson County, near Sebree.
Century will receive $200 million and retain a small equity stake in the company developing the data center project, according to federal filings. The aluminum company had hinted at its search for a buyer for the Hancock County property in previous earnings calls, pointing to the site’s preexisting access to utilities and infrastructure.
“We are very pleased to see the Hawesville site transition to productive use that will benefit Hawesville and the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Jesse Gary, president and CEO of Century Aluminum. “Our agreement allows us to remain connected to the project and supportive of the community as the site is redeveloped.”
Maryland-based TeraWulf will develop the site, according to Century, building “a digital infrastructure campus supporting high-performance computing and artificial intelligence workloads.”
The project “is expected to create substantial new jobs, both construction and permanent skilled positions, and generate long-term economic activity for the region,” the company added.
Data center projects across Kentucky have faced steep public opposition, in part due to their relatively small employment levels compared to projects for manufacturing and other industries. Opponents have also cited concerns about energy use, infrastructure strain, tax breaks and environmental impacts.
Lane Boldman, executive director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee, said she’d spoken with local residents and officials last year who were still holding out hope that Century would restart the smelter.
The land sale and redevelopment plans come just days after Century announced plans to invest in a new, multibillion-dollar smelter in Oklahoma, rather than build out a project in Kentucky, as the company had previously floated. Gov. Andy Beshear and other proponents of the project, including Boldman, expressed disappointment that Kentucky was passed over for that investment, which would have brought 1,000 permanent jobs to the state.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter at The Courier Journal. Reach him directly at cgiffin@courier-journal.com or on X @byconnorgiffin.
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoFormer Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoEastbound I-80 closure in San Francisco snarls traffic, slows business
-
Videos2 hours agoCan Keir Starmer survive the latest Mandelson revelations? | BBC News
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoPetar Musa’s Brace Not Enough as FC Dallas Draws LA Galaxy 2-2
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMLS: Messi double helps Inter Miami slay Rapids in front of huge crowd
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoFrom across Boston they flock to play for Latin Academy boys’ tennis, a co-op of 29 schools – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDale Kistler Obituary | The Denver Post
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoWEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Warm day, but far below record