Data center, “pop-up” power plant fined just $41,500 after starting without permit
ServerFarm and VoltaGrid obtained permits for a data center and temporary power plant in Newton County after beginning construction without required air permits. Georgia assessed combined penalties of $41,500, while environmental critics said the fines were too small but credited the revised permit with imposing stricter operating limits and reducing projected emissions.
ServerFarm and VoltaGrid have secured the required permits for adjoining data center and temporary power plant facilities in Newton County, Georgia, after state regulators found that construction began before air permits were issued. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division imposed penalties of $31,000 on ServerFarm and $11,500 on VoltaGrid under separate consent orders.
Maurice Carter of Sustainable Newton and Patrick Anderson of the Southern Environmental Law Center criticized the penalties as insufficient to deter companies investing millions of dollars in the projects. They said, however, that the permitting process produced stronger environmental safeguards, including treating the facilities under a combined permit, limiting generator operations and reducing projected emissions by about 20%. The Georgia Public Service Commission is also considering a separate investigation and possible penalties, but that process remains in its early stages.