Commissioner Rowland Updates Citizens on ACCG Webinar About Data Centers

The following summary was written by Monroe County District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland to update citizens about information Monroe County Commissioners learned from a Tuesday, Jan. 6 webinar sponsored by Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) regarding the recent surge in data centers taking place in the state.

The webinar featured seven total presenters, who included a Loudon County, Va. supervisor, a Spalding County, Ga. manager, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman, an attorney representing the Southern Environment Law Center (SELC), a representative from the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, a representative from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and a Data Solutions vice president (VP) who locates data center sites.

The Loudon County, Va. supervisor, Mike Turner, began the discussion. Turner began by reminding the webinar viewers that data centers enter counties with great benefits and great responsibilities. The cost per dollar of return for data centers is $0.04 while other businesses are around $0.25 and residential is $1.00 or even.

However, the sometimes unseen or indirect costs are the loss of land for distribution, the drain on the state power grid, the buffers needed to mitigate sound and sight, and the potential emissions. Turner went through some interesting power generation scenarios and had the following to say:

• Solar- Takes 5 to 7 acres to produce one megawatt (MW). Not a practical option and solar farms come with their own encumbrances.
• Wind- not a viable source here.
• Natural gas- environmentally superior to coal but still involves particulate matter and produces carbon dioxide. (Newer combined cycle plants are improved options.)
• Backup generators- environmentally messy.
• Hydrogen fuel cells are a possible option in the future.
• Micro nuclear reactors are likely the future.

Delaying decommissioning of coal plants is today’s reality. Reconducting power lines is an efficiency improvement power grids can do. High voltage, direct current (DC) electricity may be a good option in the future and it is superior in its ability to run underground vs overhead.

According to Turner, there are five variables to consider when making data center location decisions: Sight, Setback, Sound, Emissions, and Power.

His advice:

• Make a good comprehensive land use plan and have it match the ordinance.
• No “by right” data center builds.
• Require Tier 4 generators.
• 500-1000 ft. buffers.
• Require reserved space for microgrids in the future.
• Ask utility companies to consider reconducting lines for improved efficiency. Ask for use of DC voltage underground.

The next presenter was a Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) representative to briefly explain the Georgia Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process.

First, the purpose of the DRI is to communicate and not to regulate. It was amended Dec. 15, 2025 to require that any technological facility be included as requiring a DRI. There are several other triggers, such as any airports, any development proposing in excess of 1,000 parking spaces, any development proposing in excess of 300,000 sq. ft. builds, etc.

The process by which a project requires a DRI is a county zoning or building department recognizes the potential need, submits the potential need to the Regional Commission, who verifies the need and submits it to the DCA for them to set up and send out the DRI. This process takes about 30 days total and is designed as such to not unduly constrain a project by time.

The next presenter was the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman, Jason Shaw. He began by saying that this data center expansion in Georgia happened so fast that it caught the communities, the PSC, and the power producers and suppliers by surprise. And it has not slowed down.

Shaw explained the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) as a tool the PSC uses to visualize and accept plans by the power companies to provide future power demand. In 2022, the growth was estimated at 200 megawatts (MW)/yr. This was holding steady annually and the energy efficiency incentives were helping keep the growth constrained. In the fall of 2023, the request was to add a whopping 16,000 MW/yr. by the power companies as a result of data center growth. So, in 2024, the PSC stretched what they and the power producers felt was feasible and agreed to increase by 3,750 MW. As a result of increased investment in natural gas energy production, this was increased in 2025 another 9,880 MW. There is also much work being done on battery storage exploration, which is a 15-year commitment.

Shaw said the goal of the PSC is to protect the public and make sure it has enough affordable power. Reducing the cost of manufacturing and distribution puts a downward pressure on residential power. The PSC negotiated a rate freeze of three years by Ga. Power. Currently there are projects looking at our state that would require an additional 51,000 MW.

In summary, Chairman Shaw gave a good analogy. We went through the phases of the interstate system in Georgia, rural electrification in Georgia, and internet expansion in Georgia. All gave great benefit to our state, but all came with some cost. The cost of land procurement and condemnation, the cost of traffic, the cost of what we could see or hear or smell that we did not have to see or hear or smell in years past.

Next was Chris Manganiello, Water Policy Director for the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Manganiello said the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s purpose is to ensure there is an adequate supply of clean water for all users, including residents, businesses, and farm and wildlife. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper officials see this industry growth as unprecedented. Thirty-five data centers are currently under construction in Ga. with hundreds more proposed. They are projecting 90 million sq. ft. of construction and usage of 30 million gallons of water daily, about the usage of the city of Gainesville. They are concerned that water usage is a guess during the zoning phase. They are concerned that this may be a bubble that could leave communities holding the bag if the business relocates. They recognized that evaporative cooling uses more water but less energy and vice versa on a closed loop system. Re-use of wastewater has been studied and proposed, but the ability to do so has not been refined yet. The absolute biggest concern of theirs is if we have drought and/or extreme heat conditions while water usage for data center cooling is at its peak.

They encourage the following:

1. “Be transparent”
2. “Involve water departments and authorities as soon as possible”
3. Need accurate information from developers. “Just highlighting the economic benefits is a one sided conversation. “
4. Stay on top of local policy. Use moratoria if necessary. Demand closed-loop cooling.
5. Monroe County was the latest to put a data center moratorium in place, and Crawford County followed last night.

Next was an attorney from the Southern Environment Law Center (SELC). People want information was a resounding start. SELC officials are concerned with the use of diesel generators that can produce five tons of nitrous oxide per hour running time from one site. We need to know the type and number of generators. They need to be located away from residences and utilize green space, noise barriers and berms. Definitely need Tier 4 generators. They were also concerned about eminent domain during power distribution. There were 24 miles affected over the last 10 years while 1,142 miles were proposed in 2024. Data center approvals are up to us, but power distribution and eminent domain are out of our hands.

Next was the Data Solutions VP, who represents a firm that looks for good areas to locate a data center. Where are they at? Where are they coming? Most are in Atlanta and along the I-20 corridor. They are following the fiber and interstate going toward Macon and Columbus. They look at the power grid when selecting a site.

Benefits to locating in Georgia:

1. Cost/kilowatt-hour (kWh) is low.
2. State tax incentives.
3. Top 8 in solar energy.
4. EMCs are options covering 73% of the land area.
5. Fiber distribution is top of the line in Ga.

They see nuclear energy as the option in five years. They also see a high tax revenue that benefits the local and state governments.

Finally, we heard from the Spalding County, Ga. Manager. As a county outside a big city with data centers he offered the following comments.

1. They can be quiet, good neighbors.
2. They can offer stable, reduced taxes.
3. Set strong guardrails.
4. Make guardrails known.
5. No bitcoin mining.
6. Adjust transmission lines on properties affected.
7. Don’t put data centers around sensitive areas.
8. Have good neighbor design. Lighting, noise reduction, etc.
9. Tier 4 generators.
10. 500 ft. buffer from building to property lines.
11. Utility availability statements.
12. Not in use in six years can allow property to be reverted to original zoning use.
13. Closed loop systems.
14. Curb appeal. Screens, berms.
15. Have a decommissioning plan.
16. Have inspection rights during and at the end of construction.
17. Ask for quarterly progress reports.
18. Calling the bond can be an accountability tool.

These are the open and transparent comments from the webinar presenters as to their thoughts, concerns, and direction on how to proceed with data centers. We, as a board, must take all this information and make decisions on the industry as it applies to our county.