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Controversial $2B Twiggs County data center approved — but the debate continues

Stories by Macon Telegraph journalists, with AI summarization

A $2 billion data center has been approved in Twiggs County. The project has been highly debated with the community divided between economic growth versus environmental and cultural concerns.

The data center is expected to bring economic benefits including job creation and a boost to the tax base, according to the developer, Eagle Rock Partners.

However, there's been opposition from the Muscogee Nation, who worry about threats to archaeological sites important to their history and culture.

The development will include up to nine buildings, three substations and two retention ponds, according to county documents.

A lawsuit was filed Sept. 26 by local residents against the county, alleging procedural errors in the project's approval process.

In addition, there are questions about water availability, indicating a potential strain on the Ocmulgee River Basin due to multiple data center projects in the region.

Read more in the stories below:

Twiggs County residents and other concerned parties gathered on a farm on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Dry Branch, Georgia. A couple dozen attendees met to discuss how best to articulate their concerns during public comment at the Twiggs County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, where the board is set vote on rezoning land for a potential data center. By Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

NO. 1: RESIDENTS, MUSCOGEE CITIZENS OPPOSE $2 BILLION TWIGGS COUNTY DATA CENTER

A proposal to rezone nearly 300 acres of timberland for a data center in Twiggs County is drawing widespread criticism from residents. | Published September 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Lucinda Warnke

Opponents to the proposal for a Twiggs County data center, dressed in red shirts, speak to Twiggs County Board of Commissioners Chairman Ken Fowler (middle) on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Jeffersonville, Georgia. Twiggs County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the rezoning of agricultural land into land for a potential data center with some conditions at their September commissioner meeting amid backlash from many county residents. By Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

NO. 2: $2 BILLION DATA CENTER PROJECT GETS APPROVAL IN TWIGGS COUNTY DESPITE OPPOSITIONS

The proposal to rezone nearly 300 acres of timberland in Twiggs County for a data center passed Thursday evening after the county’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the project, with conditions. | Published September 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Margaret Walker

Opponents to the proposal for a Twiggs County data center, dressed in red shirts, speak to Twiggs County Board of Commissioners Chairman Ken Fowler (middle) on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Jeffersonville, Georgia. Twiggs County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the rezoning of agricultural land into land for a potential data center with some conditions at their September commissioner meeting amid backlash from many county residents. By Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

NO. 3: RESIDENTS SUE TWIGGS COUNTY OVER $2 BILLION DATA CENTER PROJECT. WHAT WE KNOW.

A group of Twiggs County residents are suing the county after officials approved a $2 billion data center despite local outcry. | Published September 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Lucinda Warnke

An aerial view of the Meta’s Stanton Springs Data Center on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Newton County, Georgia. The data center was built in two phases and broke ground on the first phase in 2018. By Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

NO. 4: MIDDLE GEORGIA DATA CENTER BOOM RAISES A BIG QUESTION: IS THERE ENOUGH WATER?

Ask experts in the Peach State about how many data centers are going up in Georgia, and you’re unlikely to get a clear answer. | Published October 7, 2025 | Read Full Story by Margaret Walker

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.