AI’s data center boom keeps finding Black communities
VoltaGrid and Serverfarm are facing significant opposition and legal challenges for their data center and power plant project in Covington, Georgia. Residents and environmental groups are concerned about permitting issues, increased air pollution, and potential violations of state utility laws. These issues have led to a state-issued stop-work order and a formal petition to the Georgia Public Service Commission.
The demand for data centers, driven by the artificial intelligence boom, is increasingly targeting Black communities for development, prompting concerns among residents. In Covington, Georgia, located southeast of Atlanta, residents are actively opposing a “pop-up” data center and an associated power plant.
The power plant, developed by Texas-based VoltaGrid, consists of 33 natural gas-powered turbines intended to generate 90 megawatts of electricity for a nearby data center built by Serverfarm. Opponents in Covington and Newton County allege that generators were installed and running before the necessary state permits were issued, a claim similar to issues faced by other projects. Additionally, the project is located near residential areas, a nature preserve, and a municipal reservoir, raising environmental concerns.
Sustainable Newton, a local organization, and the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) contend that VoltaGrid and Serverfarm attempted to bypass Georgia’s Territorial Electric Service Act and the Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act by seeking permits as two distinct entities. In response to these issues, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division issued a stop-work order on VoltaGrid’s plant in early July, pending permit issuance. Following this, SELC filed a petition with the Georgia Public Service Commission on behalf of Sustainable Newton, requesting a ruling on the lawfulness of VoltaGrid's project.