Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky HB593: AN ACT relating to data centers.
Status: In committee, March 31, 2026
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 96 relating to municipal utilities and KRS Chapter 278 relating to Public Service Commission-regulated utilities to: define terms; only allow for the provision of electric service to a data center through a contract that conforms to the requirements of the Act; require that within 90 days of the effective date of the Act, the electric service provider issue or file a tariff setting forth the process for a data center customer to apply for service; require the payment of a nonrefundable service application fee; require the preparation of studies to determine the manner in which the electric service provider can safely and efficiently serve the data center in a way that does not have negative service or rate impacts to their non-data center customers; establish the minimum contract requirements between the electric service provider and the data center customer; provide that requirements of the Act that are conflict with the Tennessee Valley Authority's requirements for the distribution of electricity that it supplies shall not apply; prohibit the charging or allocating of any costs associated with serving or constructing new infrastructure to serve a data center to any other customers served by natural gas, water, or wastewater utilities; amend KRS 154.20-229 to require that a qualified data center project that has been preliminarily approved for a certificate of exemption under KRS 139.499 include in its memorandum of agreement with the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority a certification that the data center project complies or will comply with all applicable local requirements and the applicable requirements of the Act.
What the bill says
An act relating to data centers.
From the committee substitute text:
AN ACT relating to data centers. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 96 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: (1) As used in this section and Section 2 of this Act: (a) "Contract" means the electric service agreement between a municipal electric utility and a customer that owns or operates a data center; (b) "Data center" means: 1. A qualified data center project that has been preliminarily approved or approved for a certificate of exemption under KRS 139.499; or 2. A centralized facility that: a. Is used primarily or exclusively for electronic information services, including but not limited to the management, storage, processing, and dissemination of electronic data and information through the use of computer systems, servers, networking equipment, and related components; b. Has electrical load that is either fixed, portable, or distributable, including but not limited to structures that are not affixed to the ground or are easily removed from a location; c. Has an expected or actual peak of real-time energy demand of fifteen (15) megawatts or greater; and d. Has an expected or actual monthly load factor of sixty percent (60%) or greater; (c) "Data center customer" means a customer of a municipal electric utility that owns or operates, or proposes to own …
Sponsors
- Josh Bray (R, HD-071) · primary sponsor
- Jason Petrie (R, HD-016)
- Daniel Elliott (R, HD-054)
- Jim Gooch (R, HD-012)
- Kim King (R, HD-055)
- David Osborne (R, HD-059)
Latest actions
- : returned to Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor (S)
- : 2nd reading
- : taken from Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor (S)
- : returned to Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor (S)
- : 1st reading
- : taken from Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor (S)
- : to Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor (S)
- : to Committee on Committees (S)
- : received in Senate
- : 3rd reading, passed 90-8 with Committee Substitute (1)
Votes
- House: Pass RCS# 191 (March 4, 2026): 90 yea, 8 nay, passed
Subjects: State Agencies, Sewer Systems, Oil And Natural Gas, Energy, Public Utilities, Information Technology, Federal Laws And Regulations, Water Supply
Common questions
- What is HB593?
- HB593 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT relating to data centers.
- What does HB593 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to data centers.
- What is the status of HB593?
- In committee as of March 31, 2026. Latest action: returned to Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor (S) (March 31, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB593?
- Josh Bray (R, HD-071), with 5 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB593?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb593.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.