Transcript
Orlando Montoya (0:01)
Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. On this podcast, we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. Coming up on today's episode, the growth of data centers is on the rise in Georgia, and some residents are pushing back. Georgia's Fort Benning could be the site of a new nuclear reactor and how will the federal ban on THC products affect the Georgia hemp industry?
Joe Salome (0:25)
There's going to be a huge vacuum of individuals that can't find their relief.
Orlando Montoya (0:30)
Today is Monday, November 24th. I'm Orlando Montoya and this is Georgia Today. The Georgia Department of Community affairs last week adopted new rules that will require proposals for data centers to be subject to state review. The current and Savannah is reporting data centers now will be included in what counts as a development of regional impact. The that process will allow those close to the development of a data center the opportunity to comment before development happens. That's according to DCA Deputy Commissioner Rusty Haywood, who spoke to the DCA board. Developers will be required to estimate how much water and electricity their data center will need. The new rules apply to data centers of at least 500,000 square feet outside of Atlanta. Clean air advocates say unchecked growth in Georgia's data center industry could harm public health, especially for people in metro Atlanta, where air quality has worsened. GPB's Ellen Eldredge has more.
Ellen Eldredge (1:36)
Five data center projects are ongoing and more are proposed, all in the city of south Fulton. They're being built in anticipation of growth in the artificial intelligence. Kaia Stanford is with the advocacy group Moms Clean Air Force in Georgia.
Kaia Stanford (1:51)
And there's also a 1 million square foot one that's being proposed in South DeKalb. If you look at the demographics of these regions, they have in common that they're primarily communities of color, and that's intentional, she says.
Ellen Eldredge (2:06)
Residents should attend local government meetings to share their concerns. According to the Pew Research center, more than 4% of all electricity used nationwide powers these data centers. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldredge.
Orlando Montoya (2:21)
Professional staff at Georgia's Public Service Commission say Georgia Power is vastly overestimating its need for new generation capacity because of the growth in data centers. The two separate staff reports conclude the company only needs about a third of the new electricity production the utility is requesting permission from the PSC to develop. That's because both reports say Georgia Power's forecasts for data center growth aren't coming to fruition. One report estimates that the revenue needed to build to the company's forecasts could add an additional $20 a month to the average household's power bill. The U.S. army has selected Georgia's Fort Benning near Columbus as a potential site for a nuclear microreactor. The military base is one of nine potential locations for what the army calls its next generation nuclear power program. It stems from an executive order signed by President Trump in May directing the army to set up a small modular reactor at a domestic military base by 2028 with the goal of providing off grid power and advancing nuclear technology. How many bases will get the reactors and when they'll be selected and have yet to be announced. Congress has set a deadline for a federal ban on most THC products made from hemp. GPB's Sarah Kalas explains how that could affect producers and consumers in Georgia.