Georgia

Headline onlyThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution · Georgia

Residents in a Georgia town reported wall cracks and brown tap water after nearby data center construction began, raising questions about who pays for infrastructure costs as technology companies invest billions in AI-related facilities. A proposed Palm Beach County data center campus was rejected by commissioners over community concerns about noise, water, and traffic.

Orlando Sentinel · Georgia

Georgia's Public Service Commission held a meeting in Savannah on Tuesday, departing from its typical Atlanta location to hear from coastal residents about data centers. Public commenters voiced concerns about an OpenAI data center planned for Effingham County and Georgia Power's contract with the company, calling for greater transparency.

grist.org · Chatham Co., GA

Headline onlyGreen Street News · Fulton Co., GA

Headline onlyCoStar · Fulton Co., GA

Headline onlyThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution · Fulton Co., GA

Two Planning Board members resigned from Effingham County's advisory board this summer, citing transparency concerns related to a proposed OpenAI data center project. One member said he learned of the project through vacation phone calls rather than official county communication, raising questions about whether board members had adequate information to fulfill their advisory role on zoning and development matters.

Effingham Herald · Effingham Co., GA

CleanSpark's subsidiary plans to raise $2.227 billion through senior secured notes to complete its 175-megawatt Georgia AI data center facility leased to Meta's subsidiary Anviran LLC. The 20-year lease is expected to generate approximately $6.6 billion in contracted payments with annual rent increases.

TradingView · Georgia · also at Stocktwits

The Georgia Public Service Commission held its first administrative meeting outside Atlanta in nearly two decades in Savannah, where residents expressed concerns about rapid data center development during a two-hour town hall. The PSC established new requirements for large-load contracts, including the OpenAI project in Effingham County, which calls for a 25-year term and 3.2 gigawatts of demand with customer bill increases.

Coastal Courier · Fulton Co., GA

Headline onlymarketscreener.com · Georgia

Microsoft filed a Developments of Regional Impact application to build a data center campus on 88 acres in Union City, southwest of Atlanta. The project includes two three-story buildings totaling 910,000 square feet with a planned launch in 2032.

DCD · Fulton Co., GA

CleanSpark plans to raise $2.227 billion through a secured debt offering to fund construction of its Sandersville, Georgia, AI data center. The senior secured notes, due in 2031, will cover remaining construction costs and fund debt-service reserves for the project backed by a 20-year lease with an unnamed technology company.

TheEnergyMag · Georgia

The Rome News-Tribune · Georgia

Rome city commissioners took no action Monday on a proposed moratorium on new data center projects while the city reviews regulations governing the facilities' development and location.

The Rome News-Tribune · Georgia

The Rome News-Tribune · Georgia

The House passed legislation 417-3 requiring state utility regulators to consider standards for charging artificial intelligence data centers for power and transmission upgrades needed to serve them, aiming to protect consumers from higher utility bills.

The Alabama News Wire · Walton Co., GA · also at TribLIVE.com, WHNT.com, WKRG

A state regional impact report details OpenAI's proposed 1,400-acre data center project in Effingham County, estimating a $20 billion cost and projecting $20 million in annual local tax revenue with 400 full-time jobs. The facility would require unprecedented electrical capacity—3,210 megawatts—making it Georgia's largest single electricity consumer.

WTOC · Effingham Co., GA

Former Georgia Public Service Commission member Tricia Pridemore has joined data center company DC BLOX as executive vice president of energy, regulatory and policy. The move has prompted concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as the commission regulates utilities and their contracts with data centers.

Georgia Recorder · Georgia · also at newsfromthestates.com

The Georgia Public Service Commission held a meeting in Savannah to address coastal residents' concerns about a recently announced OpenAI data center in Effingham County and rising power bills. Commissioners discussed Georgia Power's OpenAI contract and heard public comments, with many attendees calling for increased transparency around the deal.

WABE · Chatham Co., GA

A Bowie County data center deal has become part of Georgia's gubernatorial race, with Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms criticizing Republican nominee Rick Jackson, whose company is developing the Texas project. Bottoms said the community opposes the data center and called on Jackson to disclose all his investments and state contracts.

Texarkana Today · Fulton Co., GA

Tricia Pridemore, former Georgia Public Service Commissioner, has joined Atlanta-based data center developer DC BLOX as executive vice president of energy, regulatory, and policy. She will serve as the company's chief liaison to energy providers, lawmakers and regulatory bodies while leading energy strategy and power purchase agreement negotiations.

Atlanta News First · Fulton Co., GA

The Georgia Public Service Commission held a town hall in Savannah where residents raised concerns about a proposed OpenAI data center in Effingham County. Georgia Power defended the project, stating OpenAI will pay for required infrastructure and the additional revenue will help lower costs for other customers.

WJCL · Chatham Co., GA

Headline onlysavannahnow.com · Chatham Co., GA

Headline onlySavannah Morning News · Effingham Co., GA

The Georgia Public Service Commission held its first administrative meeting outside Atlanta in nearly 20 years in Savannah, hosting a town hall where residents expressed concerns about rapid data center development, particularly OpenAI's planned 1,400-acre Effingham County campus. The PSC announced new requirements for large-load contracts, including long-term agreements and upfront infrastructure payments, with the OpenAI deal calling for a 25-year term and 3.2 gigawatts of demand.

Statesboro Herald · Chatham Co., GA

The Georgia Public Service Commission held a town hall in Savannah on Tuesday to address concerns about OpenAI's planned 1,400-acre data center in Effingham County, focusing on regulatory oversight, power demands, and customer protections. The PSC established new requirements for large-load contracts, including 25-year terms, minimum bills, and provisions preventing cost shifts to residential customers if the contract ends early.

Effingham Herald · Fulton Co., GA

Residents at a Georgia Public Service Commission forum in Savannah expressed environmental, health, and cost concerns about Georgia Power's role in supplying electricity to a proposed OpenAI data center in Effingham County, with critics questioning whether projected bill savings justify potential community impacts.

WTOC · Chatham Co., GA · also at WTOC

Several western North Carolina counties and municipalities have adopted temporary moratoriums on data center development while evaluating potential impacts, while Brevard has implemented permanent zoning regulations instead. Rutherford County is home to an existing Meta data center that opened in 2010.

WLOS · Walton Co., GA · also at WLOS

Byron's City Council approved a comprehensive data center ordinance establishing stricter guidelines for potential facilities despite resident opposition. A moratorium on data centers was also extended, though the mayor stated no confirmed project exists for the former Boy Scout camp site.

WGXA · Georgia

Georgia hosts more than 200 data centers, but a report by Greenlink Analytics and Science for Georgia predicts growth will "decelerate sharply after 2030," with annual growth dropping from 8-22% through 2030 to just 1-7% thereafter. Analysts warn that if utilities build infrastructure for demand that never materializes, ratepayers could face billions in stranded assets.

WABE · Fulton Co., GA