Georgia residents stand to lose everything as homes seized by private company in $16B data center plan to power AI
Georgia Power is using eminent domain to seize hundreds of properties in Coweta and Fayette counties for a new 35-mile transmission corridor, Project Wansley. This expansion is designed to provide approximately 80% of its new capacity to data centers. Residents are strongly opposing the seizures, claiming unfair compensation and seeking legislative intervention.
A $16 billion grid expansion plan by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, is leading to hundreds of property seizures via eminent domain in Coweta and Fayette counties, Georgia. The utility acknowledges that about 80% of the new power capacity is intended for data centers, driven by the AI boom.
Project Wansley, a 35-mile high-voltage transmission corridor, is set to directly impact at least 330 properties. This includes the outright demolition of 20 to 30 homes and the imposition of permanent easements on hundreds of others, placing 500-kilovolt power towers uncomfortably close to residences. Affected homeowners, such as Ansley Brown and Cynthia Van Epps in Coweta County, claim that negotiations have been insufficient, with offers for their properties or easements falling significantly below market value or destroying future resale potential. They argue that the utility is choosing the cheapest and fastest route, disregarding less destructive alternatives.
Brown, whose childhood home is threatened, posted a video about the situation that has garnered over 6 million views, drawing significant public attention. Residents are appealing to state legislators, including Rep. Brian Jack and State Sen. Greg Dolezal, and questioning the Public Service Commission's oversight of Georgia Power's eminent domain authority.
Georgia Power, in response, asserts it has negotiated in good faith and that eminent domain is a last resort, comprising less than 1% of its annual land transactions. The company also disputes the characterization of Project Wansley as solely a data center project, stating it serves broader regional load growth and overall grid reliability. They further claim that underground burial of the lines was evaluated but deemed impractical and more costly. Despite the company's assurances, residents like Brown and Van Epps remain committed to fighting for their properties.