Look at data centers wraps county planning workshop
A Liberty County community planning workshop featured discussions on data center development, balancing economic benefits with environmental and community concerns, particularly electricity and water usage. The event highlighted ongoing projects by QTS in Fayette County and OpenAI in Effingham County, where opposition is active, and discussed Kingsland City's recently enacted data center moratorium.
A recent community planning workshop in Liberty County, Georgia, brought together data center proponents and environmental advocates to explore the multifaceted impacts of data center development. The discussions included insights from directors of development authorities involved in significant data center projects across the state.
Niki Vanderslice, CEO of the Fayette County Development Authority, detailed QTS's expansive data center campus in Fayette County, an investment projected to reach $115-$130 billion across 600-900 acres. She highlighted the substantial property tax revenue generated, which is enabling homeowner tax relief and increased teacher salaries, despite initial assessment challenges for county officials. Meanwhile, Brandt Herndon, CEO of the Effingham Industrial Development Authority, addressed the "firestorm" of opposition surrounding OpenAI's proposed $20 billion data center in Effingham County. Despite community resistance, the project is moving forward on industrially zoned land, delivering significant tax rollbacks for residents and an $80 million community benefits package. Herndon emphasized OpenAI's commitment to avoiding wetlands and implementing a closed-loop water system.
Environmental advocates Susan Inman of 100 Miles and Erin Cork from the state Department of Natural Resources raised concerns about water usage in drought-prone areas and the protection of crucial wildlife corridors. Panelists from Georgia Power and Georgia Transmission Corporation, Alan Volskay and Joey Heath, respectively, assured attendees that the state's electrical grid could accommodate the increased power demands. The workshop also noted Kingsland City Council's recent enactment of a one-year data center moratorium and Wayne County's proactive ordinance establishing environmental impact assessments and setback requirements for data center developments.