Gallatin considers data center moratorium

The City of Gallatin in Sumner County, Tennessee, is actively exploring a moratorium on new data center developments. This comes despite the city already housing a Meta data center, which became operational less than two years ago.

Councilman Pascal Juvants introduced the discussion last week, expressing apprehension about a new, unnamed company's interest in constructing a data center on recently annexed land, separate from Meta's existing facility. Juvants advocates for a one-year moratorium on data centers, emphasizing the need for swift action given current zoning laws that could allow such projects without significant city input. He highlighted concerns about rapid development, referencing past approvals for residential projects.

Mayor Paige Brown, however, downplayed immediate expansion prospects for Meta, noting that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was not ready for more power demand a couple of years ago when Meta considered an expansion. She stated that a Meta expansion is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Mayor Brown also addressed common environmental concerns, comparing Meta's water usage to residential sprinkler use in Gallatin, suggesting that Meta uses less water, and cautioned against inaccurate information, stating that "not all data centers are created equally."

Gallatin city leaders are slated to vote tomorrow on whether to advance this proposed moratorium to their planning commission for additional review.