District 4 Justice of the Peace Julie Blackwood said ordinance is necessary to avoid county vulnerability to data center impacts
AVAIO Pulaski County Data Center
Data center developer AVAIO had an attorney seek a carve out for its project from Pulaski County's data center moratorium. It is reported; the record holds no sourced date for when it reached that stage.
How much water it would use and who would use it have not been disclosed.
How to read this page. Every fact links to the source it rests on; a number in brackets is its place in the source list. A figure no source gives reads Not disclosed, and nothing is estimated. Where sources give different figures, each is shown with who gave it, and another source's figure never stands in for the record's own. Entries are added and never overwritten; corrections are listed under What happened.
What is known
Each figure as its source gave it. The number in brackets is its place in the source list.
- Land
- Not disclosed
- Power it would draw
- 1 GW
- third party estimate [5]
- Water
- Not disclosed
- Who leads it
- AVAIO
- as stated by the source
- Who would use it
- Not disclosed
- Jobs once it runs
- Not disclosed
- Tax each year
- Not disclosed
Every field, with who said it and when (Researcher view)
Impact figures
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much power it needs | 1 GW | third party estimate | [5] arktimes.com | September 25, 2026 |
| How much water it would use | Not disclosed | |||
| How loud it would be | Not disclosed | |||
| Jobs once it runs | Not disclosed | |||
| Tax it would pay each year | Not disclosed |
The record's fields
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is building it | AVAIO | as stated by the source | September 25, 2026 | |
| Who is constructing it | Not disclosed | |||
| How much land | Not disclosed | |||
| Where its power comes from | Not disclosed | |||
| Grid connection | Not disclosed | |||
| How it is cooled | Not disclosed |
The developer's figure is what the company said; what a permit allows is the ceiling a permit sets; measured means observed. Water is in gallons a day or a year, whichever the source stated; a tax claim given as a range shows both ends, each linked to the source that gave it.
Still not public, and where it would show up
The record adds each the day a source gives it. Why these documents.
- Water useA state water right filing or a water supply agreement.
- Who would use itA lease announcement or a tenant named in a filing.
- Jobs and taxAn incentive agreement, a county's economic development filing or a fiscal note.
What was decided
Acts of Pulaski County and Wrightsville about data centers, on the record with their source. A rule about the area is not a decision about this record.
| Date | Who | Decision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski County | The regulations require prospective data center projects to demonstrate development won't materially impair utilities and other public infrastructure but do not limit water or power use | ualrpublicradio.org | |
| Pulaski County | The regulations require prospective data center projects to submit electrical load analyses, water and wastewater plans, land use suitability studies and decommissioning plans | ualrpublicradio.org | |
| Pulaski County | County Judge Barry Hyde has seven days to veto the new regulations | ualrpublicradio.org | |
| Pulaski County | Judge Barry Hyde has seven days to veto the ordinance before it takes immediate effect under emergency provision. | arktimes.com | |
| Pulaski County | Pulaski County Quorum Court on Tuesday approved a measure to establish new regulations on data centers | arkansasonline.com | |
| Pulaski County | Pulaski County Quorum Court voted 11-4 Tuesday night in favor of new data center regulations | ualrpublicradio.org |
14 earlier decisions on the county's rows
| Date | Who | Decision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski County | Pulaski County Quorum Court on September 22, 2026 passed 11-4 an ordinance to regulate large data centers in unincorporated parts of the county, covering noise, fire safety, and water consumption. AVAIO Digital's proposed $6 billion, 1 gigawatt Wrightsville campus will be subject to the new rules. | arktimes.com | |
| North Little Rock | North Little Rock city council approved an ordinance applying zoning regulations to future data center campuses within city limits on Monday night, September 15, 2026. | nwaonline.com | |
| North Little Rock | North Little Rock City Council approved an ordinance applying zoning regulations to future data center campuses. | arkansasonline.com | |
| North Little Rock | The ordinance includes an emergency clause, meaning regulations took effect immediately after approval. | katv.com | |
| North Little Rock | Regulations address utilities, noise, and proximity to residential areas. | katv.com | |
| North Little Rock | Data center campuses are allowed as a conditional use in I-3 industrial zones. | katv.com | |
| North Little Rock | North Little Rock approved new zoning regulations establishing where data center campuses can operate and what requirements developments must meet before receiving approval. | katv.com | |
| Pulaski County | Ordinance provision states that purchasing property, spending money or beginning certain work would not exempt project from new requirements, potentially affecting AVAIO's proposed project near Wrightsville | katv.com | |
| Pulaski County | Ordinance would establish review of factors including power and water use, noise and traffic for hyperscale data center projects in unincorporated Pulaski County | katv.com | |
| Pulaski County | Pulaski County Quorum Court scheduled to vote on emergency ordinance establishing conditional use permit process for hyperscale data centers | katv.com | |
| Pulaski County | Pulaski County Quorum Court delayed final vote on proposed regulations for data center development. | arkansasonline.com | |
| Pulaski County | Proposal would set standards for data center operations, monitoring, and inspections. | katv.com | |
| Pulaski County | Proposal would require conditional use permits for large scale data centers in unincorporated Pulaski County. | katv.com | |
| Pulaski County | Pulaski County voted down data center ordinance | thv11.com |
What happened
No dated entry is on the record yet.
12 corrections to this record
Every correction, with its reason
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
Every correction on the record is on the corrections page.
What was said
Julie Blackwood, JP, says AVAIO will not be grandfathered in and must go through county regulations.
Wendell Griffen, Pulaski County Judge Democratic nominee, helped write the ordinance
Every statement about data centers in Arkansas, by speaker
1 more statement on this page
The site
Where in Pulaski County is not in the public record. The pin marks the county seat, not a building, and the outline is the county.
Tap a pin for the data center, the parcel for its record
- This record: Proposed, ringed
- data center
- Dashed edge: the exact site is not in the public record
- Smaller pins: 7 other published records in Arkansas
Details
- this record's location, ringed
- parcel outline, from the county parcel record
- city limits, U.S. Census Bureau, on a town level record
- county boundary
The other pins are the published projects in the same state, each in its stage color. The imagery beneath is the USGS national orthoimagery, public domain, shown so the land around the site can be read.
- Where
- Wrightsville, Pulaski County, Arkansas
- How exactly it is located
- County level, the county seat
- The parcel
- No parcel outline in the public record
- Nearest homes
- Not computed for a record placed at a place center
- Nearest records
- Nearest records are not computed for a record placed at a county seat.
Questions about this project
5 questions answered from the record
How big is AVAIO Pulaski County Data Center?
-
The record has one measure of its size: 1 GW (third party estimate, source). Its acreage is not disclosed.
Who is building AVAIO Pulaski County Data Center?
-
AVAIO is the developer. No construction contractor is named on the record yet.
How much power and water does AVAIO Pulaski County Data Center say it needs?
-
Power: 1 GW (third party estimate, source). Water: not disclosed by any source on file.
Where does AVAIO Pulaski County Data Center stand today?
-
It is reported; the date it reached that stage is not sourced, only the day a page was read. No dated entry is on the record yet.
What has Wrightsville or Pulaski County decided about it?
-
Pulaski County: The regulations require prospective data center projects to demonstrate development won't materially impair utilities and other public infrastructure but do not limit water or power use (reported September 23, 2026, source); and Pulaski County: The regulations require prospective data center projects to submit electrical load analyses, water and wastewater plans, land use suitability studies and decommissioning plans (reported September 23, 2026, source). 20 events are on the county's rows; a rule about the area is not a decision about this record.
Sources
Reporting
- $6 billion data center announced for Pulaski County - arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, January 13, 2026, query feed
- $6 billion data center announced for Pulaski County - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, January 13, 2026, query feed
- AVAIO a no-show; citizen committee to deal with data center issues - Arkansas Times, Arkansas Times, June 17, 2026, query feed
- Entergy in talks with landowners about need for additional data center transmission lines - arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, July 23, 2026, query feed
- After months of turmoil, Pulaski County passes sweeping data center rules - Arkansas Times, Arkansas Times, September 23, 2026, local outlet
- Advocates make final push ahead of Tuesday vote on Pulaski County data center ordinance, katv.com, August 27, 2026, local outlet
- Attorney representing data center developer AVAIO previously sought carve-out for project in Pulaski County moratorium - arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, July 20, 2026, local outlet
- Entergy re submits AVAIO power agreement to Arkansas Public Service Commission - arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, September 10, 2026, local outlet
8 sources on file.
Cite this record
Data Center Record, "AVAIO Pulaski County Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/avaio-pulaski-county-data-center-ar, last verified September 25, 2026.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "AVAIO Pulaski County Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/avaio-pulaski-county-data-center-ar. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
For researchers
- Slug
- avaio-pulaski-county-data-center-ar
- Status value
- rumored
- Stage
- Proposed
- Tier
- skeleton
- Tags
- skeleton
- Place id
- us/ar/pulaski-county/wrightsville
- Coordinates
- 34.74444, -92.28806
- Location precision
- county
- Location source
- County seat (Little Rock), Wikidata, placed at county level
- Coordinate source
- wikidata county seat
- Location source number
- Not disclosed
- Location last verified
- September 16, 2026
- EPA registry id
- Not disclosed
- Use type values
- not_disclosed
- Tenancy value
- not_disclosed
- Cooling type value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity basis
- third_party_estimate
- Water basis
- not_disclosed, gallons_per_day
- Acreage basis
- Not disclosed
- Interconnection value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity, if disclosed
- 1 GW, third party estimate
- Rating of the county's rows
- Not disclosed
- Published
- 2026-09-05
- Last verified
- 2026-09-25