Georgia Data Center News

Apr 8, 2026

Heelstone Renewable starts construction on 206MW US solar projects

Heelstone Renewable Energy has started construction on two US solar PV projects totaling 206MW.

Project details: Heelstone (a Qualitas Energy company) began construction on the 104MW Alligator Creek Solar (Wheeler County, Georgia) and the 102MW Murch Solar (Van Buren County, Michigan), backed by long-term PPAs with an unnamed US hyperscale data centre developer; both are expected to reach commercial operation by end of 2026. Alligator Creek reached financial close in December 2025 and Murch closed in March 2026, each securing debt and tax equity commitments and financed on a non-recourse project-level basis.
Financing and execution: Construction follows FIDs and signed EPC contracts; advisers and lenders include Paragon Energy Capital (advised Alligator Creek financing), CG/CRC-IB (advised Murch), Stonehenge Capital (tax equity investor and syndication/asset management services), Zions Bancorporation, ING Capital, and Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale as coordinating lead arrangers/lenders. Heelstone appointed Pure Power Contractors for Alligator Creek and Greensol Renewables for Murch. Heelstone also recently completed a $200m senior secured corporate credit facility to support its pipeline.

Apr 6, 2026

Democrats See Georgia's Failure to Curb Data Centers as an Electoral Gift

Georgia state lawmakers ended their annual legislative session without passing measures to curb data center growth.

Main action: Despite months of debate, state lawmakers took no legislative action to restrict or place a moratorium on new data centers as the session ended; opponents cite nearly $3 billion in tax breaks estimated to cost state and local governments in the year beginning July 1 and rising electricity concerns.
Background/details: The story notes Public Service Commission rules adopted last year, a proposed but unpassed effort to write those rules into law (criticized as “extremely weak” by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler), a veto by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2024 to end tax breaks, and competing claims from utilities (Georgia Power/Southern Co.) that data center growth lowers rates and from critics who warn residential ratepayers could shoulder costs; election timing and campaigns are driving renewed local opposition.

Apr 3, 2026

Event in Pa. will help people facing data centers in their communities

Community Action Works is hosting a free, day‑long community organizing summit on data centers on April 18 at the Cooper‑Siegel Community Library in O’Hara Township, Allegheny County.

Event details & purpose: The summit is a free, day‑long conference on April 18 (Cooper‑Siegel Community Library, O’Hara Township, Allegheny County) bringing together community leaders, nonprofit organizations, student leaders, and community members to learn about emerging data center impacts, share organizing strategies, and receive training on permitting/zoning, mapping/tracking proposals, campaign planning, and storytelling. The event webpage: https://communityactionworks.org/swpa-community-organizing-summit-2026/?utm_source=Environmental+Health+Project&utm_campaign=e181bec3d3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_+oct_2025_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_11acb79c3a-e181bec3d3-452309381
Context & details from interview: Dozens of new data center proposals in Pennsylvania have prompted concerns including air pollution from diesel generators, noise (sites measured as high as 93 decibels), and water use (some data centers may consume as much as 5 million gallons of water per day). Community Action Works (founded 1987) has trained over 20,000 community members and is applying organizing lessons from other states (examples cited: Georgia cryptomines, Mountain City, Tennessee).

Apr 2, 2026

Why can’t we have nice routers anymore?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned essentially all new model consumer Wi‑Fi routers built outside the US.

FCC action: The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, issued a ban on essentially all new-model consumer Wi‑Fi routers manufactured outside the United States, citing that “the [United States must never be dependent on any outside power] for core components…”; the order references involvement of foreign-made routers in the Volt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, and Salt Typhoon campaigns.
Context and technical details: Security experts and the University of Georgia’s Internet Governance Project argue the issue is unpatched, end-of-life devices and insecure deployment rather than country of manufacture; the article notes no consumer routers have been manufactured in the US for more than 24 years, Starlink is an exception, and cites CVE-2023-20198 (CVSS 10) as an example of a software Web UI flaw in Cisco IOS XE.

Mar 31, 2026

North American Data Center Growth Shifts Toward Execution, not Expansion

DC Byte has released an analysis concluding the North American data center market is shifting from topline growth to execution- and delivery-focused outcomes.

Main finding: The report (DC Byte) and research lead Alexandra Desseyn state that market structure and execution risk—not scale alone—are now primary determinants of project advancement across Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Canada; emphasis is on pipeline conversion, entitlement timelines, and submarket dynamics.
Context and details: Regulatory changes in Loudoun County are pushing development outward; winners secure power early, build strong utility partnerships, manage supply chain and labor constraints, and align with grid capacity, energy pricing stability, and connectivity; Toronto, Montreal, and Alberta are noted Canadian hubs with a large share of early-stage capacity.

Mar 30, 2026

It’s Time to End Data Centers’ Massive Tax Break

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is urging Virginia legislators and Governor Spanberger to eliminate or phase out the $1.9 billion annual sales tax exemption for data center equipment and is mobilizing constituents to contact their representatives before the legislature reconvenes.

Main announcement/action: PEC asks Virginians to urge the General Assembly and Governor Spanberger to end or phase out the $1.9 billion annual sales tax break for data centers; the Senate’s budget would phase out the exemption while the House keeps it. Key dates and actions: reconvene April 23 (legislature), advocacy kick-off Zoom call March 30 at 6:30 p.m. (register link provided), and a “Send Your Email” action page to contact delegates, senators and the governor today.
Background and details: PEC cites Dominion Energy’s 70 GWs of load requests and ongoing monthly >1 GW requests, estimates of over $100 billion in new generation/transmission/substation infrastructure (including $30 billion for transmission and a 114-mile, 765 kilovolt proposed line), and an independent PEC analysis estimating $53–$99 million/year in health damages from on-site fossil generation at a Loudoun County facility. Also summarizes bill statuses (HB153/SB94; SB553/HB496; HB507; SB619/HB155; SB339/HB658).

Mar 28, 2026

Environmental groups sue Georgia Power

A group of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Georgia Public Service Commission, appealing the December approval of a massive expansion of power infrastructure for Georgia Power.

Lawsuit details: The 42-page lawsuit was filed in Fulton County Superior Court by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of groups including Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and the Sierra Club; it challenges the PSC approval of nearly 10 gigawatts of new generation and alleges the commission approved 757 megawatts of resources that Georgia Power’s own data showed were not needed, and argues the decision will leave “captive customers” on the hook for an estimated $50 to $60 billion in costs through 2075.
Background and claims: Georgia Power and a PSC decision record say the buildout is to meet a projected surge in demand driven largely by data centers; Georgia Power told commissioners the decision delivers more than $100 per year in savings for a typical residential customer and about $8.50 in monthly “downward pressure” on bills; the article notes there have been six rate increases since 2023 and the PSC declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Mar 27, 2026

Trump Admin’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge: What It Means for Hyperscalers

Seven major operators—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI—signed the White House-brokered Ratepayer Protection Pledge on March 4, committing to build, procure, or directly fund new electricity generation capacity and to cover transmission and interconnection upgrade costs rather than passing them on to residential or commercial ratepayers.

Main announcement: The seven named hyperscalers signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge (White House-brokered, March 4) to fund new generation and pay for transmission/interconnection upgrades tied to their U.S. data center demand; the pledge explicitly shifts upgrade costs away from residential/commercial ratepayers and toward data center builders.
Context and implementation details: States and regional operators are already acting (e.g., Texas Senate Bill 6, PJM process updates) to assign large-load cost responsibility; companies are negotiating tailored agreements (upfront funding, cost-sharing, long-term commitments), examples include Microsoft’s Community-First framework and Microsoft’s involvement in restarting a Three Mile Island unit, while EPRI projects accelerated electricity demand growth through 2030.

Mar 26, 2026

Environmental, religious groups take PSC to court to stop Georgia Power data center expansion

Several environmental and religious groups have petitioned a court to review the Georgia Public Service Commission’s December approval allowing Georgia Power to recover energy-related costs tied largely to data center demand.

Main announcement: The petition challenges the PSC approval that allowed Georgia Power to provide 10 new gigawatts of power and to charge customers for an estimated $50–60 billion of electricity-generating resources; the petition also says the Commission certified 757 megawatts without evidentiary support and argues the Commission exceeded its statutory authority.
Background and details: At the time of the PSC vote all seats were held by Republicans and two Democrats were later elected and urged delay; Georgia Power says the decision delivers more than $100 per year in savings for a typical residential customer, estimates at least 80% of future demand will come from data centers, and the company expects the expansion to unfold over the next five years.

Mar 26, 2026

World Cup 2026 to Test Mobile Networks Across North America

Broadband Breakfast reports on Ookla data indicating expected differences in mobile network performance across the United States, Canada, and Mexico during the 2026 World Cup.

Main announcement: Ookla data and reporting show that mobile performance will vary across 16 stadiums in three countries (United States, Canada, Mexico) for the 2026 World Cup, with U.S. stadiums generally delivering faster median mobile download speeds than those in Canada and Mexican venues lagging behind; Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium is highlighted for strong upload and download performance.
Background and implementation details: The article describes carrier performance differences in Mexico (with Telcel delivering faster median download speeds than AT&T and Altán Redes in key host cities), notes the importance of roaming agreements for travelers (some users may access 5G while others remain on LTE), and states network operators are expected to deploy temporary cell sites and enhanced stadium systems to manage the surge; it references prior roaming performance variance observed during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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