Data center blasting set to begin in Columbia County
Controlled blasting for a new data center near Harlem in Columbia County, Georgia, is scheduled on alternating weekdays from late October through December. Residents and businesses may hear blasts and feel vibrations, while some residents continue to raise concerns about the data centers’ energy use and environmental impacts.
Controlled blasting is scheduled at the Greenpoint data center construction site in the Pumpkin Center area north of Harlem, Columbia County officials announced. The blasts are expected between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on alternating weekdays from Oct. 22 through Dec. 30, with timing subject to site and safety conditions.
Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. is listed as the contractor for the initial phase of Project Squash, a roughly 325-acre development at 6423 Wrightsboro Road. The project has faced more than a year of resident protests over energy consumption and environmental concerns, while county officials have disputed opponents’ claims. A separate, larger Google data center site is planned nearby at White Oak Technology Park.