Scrubgrass Data Center Campus (Keel Infrastructure, formerly Stronghold/Bitfarms)

Keel Infrastructure is studying its Scrubgrass waste coal plant for its biggest AI campus

Developer

Keel Infrastructure Corp., which bought Stronghold Digital Mining and the Scrubgrass and Panther Creek plants in March 2025

Tenant

No tenant named.

Current stage

In planning. Keel calls Scrubgrass its largest long-term opportunity, lists 650 acres and up to 1.3 GW of possible expansion, and has submitted load studies totaling 750 MW, but no local application has been reported. Keel stopped Bitcoin mining at the plant on June 29, 2026 and keeps selling its power. Scrubgrass Township adopted a data center ordinance in July 2026, and Venango County commissioners said in August that the county hadn't received any plans for a data center there. Keel's Panther Creek campus in Nesquehoning, Carbon County, which this entry used to cover too, now has its own entry on the map.

Decision body

Scrubgrass Township and Venango County (no application reported); PJM for any grid connection

Top issues

The coal ash pile and its removal deadline; emissions from the waste coal plant; the scale of any new gas generation; grid connection

Key opponents

The Scrubgrass Creek Watershed Association and PennFuture won a 2025 settlement requiring faster removal of a coal ash pile at the plant.

Key supporters

Keel Infrastructure is the main public backer, and CEO Ben Gagnon endorsed Governor Shapiro's August 2026 data center standards. He says Keel brings its own power and pays for grid upgrades its load causes.

• 2025-03-07A settlement with DEP and Scrubgrass Reclamation Company requires the unpermitted coal ash pile at the Scrubgrass plant to be removed by September 2026. Earthjustice
• 2025-03-14Bitfarms completes its acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining, including the Panther Creek and Scrubgrass plants. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR)
• 2026-06-29Keel stops Bitcoin mining at Panther Creek and Scrubgrass but keeps selling power from both plants. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR)
• 2026-07Scrubgrass Township adopts a data center ordinance with a 55 decibel noise limit at nearby homes, a water feasibility study requirement and decommissioning security of 110% of the estimated cost. exploreClarion
• 2026-08-14Commissioners say the county is taking a cautious approach and its planning department hasn't received any plans for a Scrubgrass data center. exploreClarion

• 2023
  Appeal of DEP coal ash agreement, settled Forum not named in the announcement · n/a

  The settlement requires removal of the unpermitted coal ash pile at the Scrubgrass plant by September 2026, more than a year ahead of the original schedule, plus on-site measures and progress reports to the groups.

  Scrubgrass Creek Watershed Association and PennFuture (represented by Earthjustice) v. Pennsylvania DEP and Scrubgrass Reclamation Company · Settled March 2025

• 2026-08-14 exploreClarionOfficials Urge Cautious Approach as Scrubgrass Data Center Concerns GrowVenango County commissioners said the county planning department hadn't received anything on a Scrubgrass data center, and the story lays out the data center ordinance Scrubgrass Township adopted in July 2026.
• 2026-06-02 exploreClarion / exploreVenangoScrubgrass Could Become Area's Largest AI Data Center CampusKeel rebrand; zoning secured at Panther Creek and Sharon; Scrubgrass still planning
• 2025-03-12 exploreVenangoCrypto Mining Facility Tied to Gas Well Quietly Sets Up in Venango CountyBehind-the-meter model and the 2023 FERC scrutiny of Stronghold
• 2025-03-04 POWER MagazineCanada Bitcoin Miner Acquiring Two Pennsylvania Coal Plants85 MW Scrubgrass and 80 MW Panther Creek acquired; expansion to 955 MW floated
• 2025-03 Data Center DynamicsCrypto firm Bitfarms to acquire Stronghold MiningWaste-coal generation behind the meter