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As dozens of cities across the US are forced to scrap their plans to build power-hungry data centers, some civic leaders are no longer asking.
According to new reporting by Fortune, the state of Georgia’s for-profit utility company, Georgia Power, is looking to demolish and pave over some 30 homes — and 330 parcels of land — that currently block the route of a 1,000 mile transmission line.
When it goes live, the line will distribute nearly 10,000 megawatts of energy from a newly constructed power plant, “approximately 80 percent of which is expected to power data centers,” according to a fact sheet provided by the Georgia Public Service Commission (the rest will presumably be split between local businesses, homes, and other customers.)
Backed by the state, Georgia Power is now working on paying landowners to move, or else face the seizure of their property by eminent domain. As one can imagine, the predominantly rural homeowners affected aren’t exactly thrilled at the idea of clearing out to make space for more infrastructure to power AI.
One woman whose childhood home is in the utility company’s war path has taken to social media to raise awareness about the impending takeover of her mother’s house.
“We don’t have a choice in this. They are going to be expanding power lines,” the woman, Ansley Brown, said in one video posted on Instagram. “Why? For the data centers. All of this is for the data centers.”
Speaking to Fortune, a spokesperson for Georgia congressman and former White House Political Director under Donald Trump Brian Jack — whose district encompasses many of the properties in Georgia Power’s crosshairs — said the lawmaker’s office has “received multiple requests for help and support from constituents.”
For Brown, the fight appears to be over. As Fortune reports, Georgia Power says they’ve “concluded” negotiations with the family, though the exact deal has not been disclosed, possibly due to a non-disclosure agreement. It also wasn’t clear to what extent the congressman intervened, though Georgia Power told the publication they appreciate “his advocacy on behalf of his constituent.”
As for the other homeowners, it remains to be seen how much patience Georgia Power has left, as the tech industry’s demand for AI compute only grows more urgent.
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