Plans for new data center in Athens raise concern in community

Plans for a new data center at the Athena Studios property near Ben Epps Airport in Athens, Georgia, have sparked significant community concern regarding their environmental impact and resource consumption. The Athens Mayor and Commission recently voted to extend a moratorium on new data centers in Athens Clarke-County (ACC) until June 5, indicating a cautious approach to development. Local officials and community members are scrutinizing the potential negatives, including substantial water and electricity usage, limited long-term job creation, and land use for affordable housing. ACC District 9 Commissioner Ovita Thornton expressed a need for more information on the environmental costs, particularly concerning electricity and water, and acknowledged that the "phenomenon" of data centers is new to Athens. Georgia House Representative Eric Gisler emphasized the importance of sustainable development for these "necessary evils" and highlighted the community's worries about cooling water consumption and pollution from backup generators. Georgia Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard noted the PSC's new requirement for data centers to pay more upfront costs to protect residents from additional expenses, and also cited a significant build-out of nearly 10,000 megawatts of resources to meet data center load growth. An upcoming vote on a new ordinance in ACC aims to establish more stringent parameters for data centers, though Commissioner Thornton remains uncertain if it will fully address all her concerns, wishing for expert recommendations to be sought before policy implementation.