Eaton Plans $160M Data Centers in Kentucky

Vendors of data center equipment are contributing to the industry's building boom with substantial construction projects. The latest example is Eaton Corp., which plans to spend $160 million to build a pair of identical 55,000 square foot data centers in Simpsonville and Louisville, Kentucky. The facilities will serve as the company's primary data centers, superseding existing centers near Eaton's headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

Eaton has selected sites in Simpsonville’s Kingbrook Commerce Park and Louisville’s Blankenbaker Station Business Park, according to local media. Shelby County Judge-Executive Rob Rothenburger called the Simpsonville facility as a "unique, exciting opportunity" for the county. "It will be a tremendous economic stimulus to our region and give us national recognition," Rothenburger told the Shelby County Sentinel News.

The projects are contingent on finalizing state and local incentives, including a $160 million industrial revenue bond issue from Shelby County, which would then use the proceeds of the bond sale to buy the property and assets for the data centers, according to local media.

Eaton joins several other major power and cooling vendors that have recently launched data center construction projects. Last week vendor Emerson Network Power (EMR) said it would build a 35,000 square foot data center in St. Louis to consolidate its infrastructure and serve as a testbed and demo center for the companies technologies. Last year Schneider Electric, the parent of APC, opened the Schneider Technology Center in O’Falllon, Missouri.