More Tennessee, Georgia towns hit pause on rural data centers as power, water worries grow
Multiple towns and counties in Tennessee and Georgia, including Spring City and Hamilton County, have enacted or are considering moratoriums on new rural data center developments. Concerns over power grid strain and water capacity are driving these decisions. Bradley County, TN, has also introduced new operating rules for data centers.
Across Tennessee and Georgia, a growing number of local governments are imposing or contemplating moratoriums on new rural data center projects, citing increasing worries about power consumption and water resources. Spring City, Tennessee, recently voted to implement a two-year pause on AI data centers, a decision that followed Hamilton County, Tennessee's approval of a one-year moratorium on new rural data centers.
Other communities, including Grundy County, Tennessee, and Walker County, Georgia, are also taking similar steps. Walker County Commission Chair Angie Teems indicated that the county plans to consider extending its current 30-day moratorium by 180 days to further study data center impacts and develop appropriate policies. Meanwhile, the logistics and data firm BridgTRK, which is developing a small two-container data center project near Rossville, Georgia, stated their facility would not require water cooling or significant additional power.
Tennessee State Senator Bo Watson affirmed that data center proposals are likely to continue, but emphasized that the ultimate decision-making authority rests with local municipalities. In Bradley County, Tennessee, while no ban is in place, leaders have introduced new rules and guidelines that data centers must meet to operate within the county.