Georgia Data Center News

Apr 16, 2026

Rural Co-ops Navigate a New Era of Load Growth, Rising Costs, and Policy Pressure

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO Jim Matheson outlined NRECA’s 2026 policy priorities and warned that rural co-ops are under acute strain from surging loads (notably AI data centers), rising costs, and premature power plant retirements.

Main announcement/action: NRECA is prioritizing rolling back onerous EPA regulations, permitting reform, raising the USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) lending cap, and FEMA reform as its top 2026 advocacy goals; Matheson described roughly 900 co-ops in 48 states serving 42 million people across 54% of U.S. land mass, and noted that two cooperatives (Michigan and Indiana) have signed power purchase agreements for the full output of a previously shuttered Michigan nuclear plant that is being restarted by a third-party operator.
Background and other details: Matheson stressed the operational challenge of AI data center “step function” loads, said current battery tech provides roughly ~4 hours of storage versus a desired ~100 hours for long-duration storage, flagged broad supply-chain and equipment cost increases, noted co-ops serve 92% of persistent poverty counties, and mentioned roughly 200 co-ops have moved into rural broadband deployment.

Apr 15, 2026

Data Center Boom Meets Resistance in Maine: Lawmakers Pass a Yearlong Freeze

The Maine Legislature approved sending a bill to Gov. Janet Mills that would impose a statewide moratorium on large data centers and create a special council to help towns vet potential projects.

Main action:Maine Legislature sent a bill to Gov. Janet Mills to institute a moratorium of more than a year on data centers above a certain size and to create a special council to assist municipalities in vetting projects; the bill was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Melanie Sachs and the governor had not responded publicly to whether she will sign it.
Background and details: The move follows intense community backlash and is part of broader activity in at least a dozen states where similar proposals have been introduced; related developments include an Ohio ballot effort that must gather more than 400,000 signatures by July 1 to attempt a statewide ban, failed or stalled bills in states such as Georgia and South Dakota, and commentary from stakeholders including the Data Center Coalition, Maine Broadband Coalition, GrowSmart Maine, and the Maine Policy Institute.

Apr 14, 2026

AI Data Center Moratorium: Balancing Energy, Community, and Growth Risks

Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have proposed a federal moratorium on new AI data centers until national safeguards covering environmental, energy, labor and civil liberties are established.

Main action: The sponsors introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act calling for federal pause on new AI data center builds until protections on environmental impact, energy consumption, labor, and civil liberties are implemented; the bill text is published by Sanders’ office and framed as a national safeguard mechanism.
Context and details: Local and state actions include a recently approved temporary ban in Maine and at least 36 US data center projects delayed or blocked between May 2024 and June 2025 (disrupting an estimated $162 billion in investment per Data Center Watch); industry responses include Microsoft’s Community-First AI Plan, vendor reports (Bloom Energy: a third of hyperscalers/colocation providers plan fully self-powered campuses by 2030), and vendor/CEO commentary (GridCare, Pado AI) on grid utilization, behind-the-meter power, and SMRs.

Apr 11, 2026

Data center, PFAS bills were a bust but Georgia environmentalists cheer boost for conservation

Georgia lawmakers extended the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program and passed a bill to raise its funding allocation awaiting the governor’s action.

Main announcement: The Legislature passed Senate Bill 478 to extend the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program for 10 years and increase the allocation of sporting-goods tax revenue from 40% to 60%, which could increase funding by about $15 million annually; the program has allocated over $142 million to 74 projects since 2019, including the acquisition of nearly 4,000 acres along Trail Ridge near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The bill is awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature (he has one month to decide).
Other actions/background: Several proposals addressing data centers (including phasing out tax credits and codifying PSC regulations) and PFAS were not finalized this session; Senate Bill 447 (the “Muddy Water” bill) was revised before landing on the governor’s desk to remove automatic approvals and exclude large projects, and House Bill 134 survived to provide five years of flexibility for forestry tax incentives (allowing the sale/transfer of credits). A proposed woody biomass power tax credit intended to help power data centers did not pass.

Apr 9, 2026

Goodman and DataBank partner on Vernon data center

DataBank Holdings and Goodman Group have formed a joint venture to market LAX2, a new 140,000‑square‑foot data center in Vernon, Los Angeles, scheduled to open in December and expand to 32MW by September 2027.

Joint venture & project details: The companies announced a JV to market LAX2 at 3094 East Vernon Avenue; the facility is 140,000 square feet, scheduled to open in December with an initial 6MW at launch, and will scale in phases to 32MW by September 2027. Goodman developed the project and acquired the site in 2023; DataBank will operate and market it and will complement its nearby LAX1 (18,000 sq ft, 2MW) site.
Background & financing: Goodman currently manages $12.4 billion of work in progress globally; DataBank recently received a $250 million equity infusion from New York‑based TJC LP and previously completed a $2 billion equity raise in 2024 (including $1.5 billion from AustralianSuper). The JV states both parties intend to expand the relationship into additional capacity‑constrained U.S. markets and LAX2 is part of DataBank’s national pipeline exceeding 850MW across multiple U.S. cities.

Apr 9, 2026

Savannah leaders push back on data centers amid environmental and cost concerns

Savannah city leaders and residents held a town hall opposing data centers in the city.

Main announcement/action:Mayor Van Johnson and several city leaders publicly opposed locating data centers in Savannah during a town hall at the Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center, with the mayor stating “We ain’t doing data centers.” City leaders and residents attended to discuss the likelihood of a data center coming to the Hostess City.
Background and details:Port Wentworth approved an amendment allowing data centers in 2025; the article cites the Environmental and Energy Study Institute saying a single data center can use as much water as Bryan County, and a Congress.gov report warning U.S. data center electricity use could triple by 2028 to potentially account for 12% of all U.S. electricity use. Peter Hubbard (Georgia Public Service Commission) called for greater financial accountability from multi-billion dollar companies and said the Georgia General Assembly did not implement additional regulations before ending its session. The potential use of PFAS in cooling systems was also raised as a concern.

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.

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