Dr. Christopher Kadlec, Georgia Southern University applied cyber education director, explained that data centers are attracted to Georgia because of infrastructure, power, and Plant Vogtle nuclear generation.
Google Columbia County data center
Google lists a data center at Columbia County, Georgia and says it is being built. It is being built, as reported August 31, 2026.
How much power it needs, how much water it would use and who would use it have not been disclosed.
How to read this page. Every fact links to the source it rests on; a number in brackets is its place in the source list. A figure no source gives reads Not disclosed, and nothing is estimated. Where sources give different figures, each is shown with who gave it, and another source's figure never stands in for the record's own. Entries are added and never overwritten; corrections are listed under What happened.
What is known
Each figure as its source gave it. The number in brackets is its place in the source list.
- Land
- 3,358 acres
- third party estimate [5]
- Power it would draw
- Not disclosed
- Water
- Not disclosed
- Who leads it
- as stated by the source [6]
- Who would use it
- Not disclosed
- Jobs once it runs
- Not disclosed
- Tax each year
- Not disclosed
- Where its power comes from
- 96 MW from nuclear uprates
- as stated by the source [3]
Every field, with who said it and when (Researcher view)
Impact figures
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much power it needs | Not disclosed | |||
| How much water it would use | Not disclosed | |||
| How loud it would be | Not disclosed | |||
| Jobs once it runs | Not disclosed | |||
| Tax it would pay each year | Not disclosed |
The record's fields
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is building it | as stated by the source | [6] wfxg.com | September 25, 2026 | |
| Who is constructing it | Not disclosed | |||
| How much land | 3,358 acres | third party estimate | [5] wrdw.com | September 25, 2026 |
| Where its power comes from | 96 MW from nuclear uprates | as stated by the source | [3] augustachronicle.com | September 25, 2026 |
| Grid connection | Not disclosed | |||
| How it is cooled | Not disclosed |
Jobs once it runs, also reported: 1,600 jobs, households, students, 2026 (WFXG FOX54: The study projects the development could lead to roughly 1,600 new jobs, 472 new local households and 307 additional students in the Columbia County School System., WRDW: The study projects the project could create 1,600 new jobs, 472 new local households and 307 new students in the Columbia County School System.) .
Tax it would pay each year, also reported: 22,000 USD, 2026 (WRDW: The land currently generates $22,000 a year in taxes for the county and schools. The county's projected tax revenue from the site is $12 billion.) .
The developer's figure is what the company said; what a permit allows is the ceiling a permit sets; measured means observed. Water is in gallons a day or a year, whichever the source stated; a tax claim given as a range shows both ends, each linked to the source that gave it.
Still not public, and where it would show up
The record adds each the day a source gives it. Why these documents.
- Water useA state water right filing or a water supply agreement.
- Who would use itA lease announcement or a tenant named in a filing.
- Power the campus would drawA utility or public service commission docket, an interconnection filing, or an air permit for an on site plant.
- Jobs and taxAn incentive agreement, a county's economic development filing or a fiscal note.
What was decided
Acts of Columbia County and the cities in it about data centers, on the record with their source. A rule about the area is not a decision about this record.
| Date | Who | Decision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County | Economic Development Authority of Columbia County is working with Google on a Memorandum of Understanding for a data center partnership | yahoo.com |
What happened
-
(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Georgia Power wants to upgrade two reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta and two at Plant Hatch west of Savannah to put roughly 100 megawatts total of emission free electricity on the power grid. [4]
-
(the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)
Google lists Google Columbia County data center at Columbia County, Georgia on its own page of data center locations, read September 14, 2026. [1]
-
(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Agreement mandates 65 decibel noise ceiling and 500 foot buffer zone from residential areas. [7]
-
(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
First payments expected late 2026 or early 2027 depending on construction milestones. [7]
-
(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Two major sites: White Oak and Pumpkin Center area in Columbia County. [7]
-
· Status: being built (source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Economic Development Authority approved memorandum of understanding for Google Data Center in Columbia County, Georgia. [7]
The full Google Columbia County data center timeline, in order
What was said
Dr. Christopher Kadlec warned that emergency backup power systems present environmental considerations, particularly diesel powered generators during severe weather in south Georgia.
Jen Ryan stated that Google worked with Columbia County leadership to exceed decibel standards and buffers for the data center.
Every statement about data centers in Georgia, by speaker
10 more statements on this page
Google agreed to pay a premium for new electricity from planned upgrades as part of a new program Georgia Power submitted to state regulators on Monday.
Georgia Power stated the plan would use federal and state tax credits and a pending loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to offset some upgrade costs.
Georgia Power
Google agreed to subscribe to a new tariff and receive zero emission credits in exchange for supporting the nuclear upgrades.
Google representative Jen Ryan spoke at the Future Forward Summit about the Google data center coming to Columbia County, discussing standards for noise, lighting, and water usage.
Google representative
Jen Ryan said data centers employ many people, citing hundreds of employees at the Douglas County data center on any given day.
Columbia County Commissioner Doug Duncan stated that Google was an opponent during negotiations but understood the county's vision.
Google representative
Jen Ryan said the data center will follow certain standards when it comes to noise, lighting, and water usage.
Scott Johnson, Columbia County Manager, said the goal is to find innovative ways to grow the economy, protect residents, and reduce the burden of property taxes through the partnership
Doug Duncan, Columbia County Chairman, said the county is building a partnership that has the potential to generate billions of dollars in revenue for Columbia County and provide meaningful property tax relief for homeowners
The site
Where in Columbia County is not in the public record. The pin marks the county seat, not a building, and the outline is the county.
Tap a pin for the data center, the parcel for its record
- This record: Being built, ringed
- data center
- Dashed edge: the exact site is not in the public record
- Smaller pins: 19 other published records in Georgia
Details
- this record's location, ringed
- parcel outline, from the county parcel record
- city limits, U.S. Census Bureau, on a town level record
- county boundary
The other pins are the published projects in the same state, each in its stage color. The imagery beneath is the USGS national orthoimagery, public domain, shown so the land around the site can be read.
- Where
- Columbia County, Georgia
- How exactly it is located
- County level, the county seat
- The parcel
- No parcel outline in the public record
- Nearest homes
- Not computed for a record placed at a place center
- Nearest records
- Nearest records are not computed for a record placed at a county seat.
Comparisons
2 metrics with more than one figure
Permanent jobs
1 figure, 2 sourcesNot disclosedNot disclosed
1,600 jobs, households, studentsReported
Show each source's words
- 1,600 jobs, households, students, WFXG FOX54: The study projects the development could lead to roughly 1,600 new jobs, 472 new local households and 307 additional students in the Columbia County School System.
- 1,600 jobs, households, students, WRDW: The study projects the project could create 1,600 new jobs, 472 new local households and 307 new students in the Columbia County School System.
Tax each year
1 figure, 1 sourceNot disclosedNot disclosed
22,000 USDReported
Show each source's words
- 22,000 USD, WRDW: The land currently generates $22,000 a year in taxes for the county and schools. The county's projected tax revenue from the site is $12 billion.
Questions about this project
7 questions answered from the record
How big is Google Columbia County data center?
-
The record has one measure of its size: 3,358 acres (third party estimate, source). Its power capacity is not disclosed.
Who is building Google Columbia County data center?
-
Google is the developer, source. No construction contractor is named on the record yet.
Who will use Google Columbia County data center?
-
Not disclosed. No source on file names a tenant, says whether the site is single or multi tenant, or states what it is for. The record keeps the use as not disclosed until one does; see Who it serves.
How much power and water does Google Columbia County data center say it needs?
-
Power: not disclosed by any source on file. Water: not disclosed by any source on file.
Where does Google Columbia County data center stand today?
-
It is being built, as reported August 31, 2026. The newest entry, reported September 22, 2026: Georgia Power wants to upgrade two reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta and two at Plant Hatch west of Savannah to put roughly 100 megawatts total of emission free electricity on the power grid. [4]
What has Columbia County decided about it?
-
Columbia County: Economic Development Authority of Columbia County is working with Google on a Memorandum of Understanding for a data center partnership (reported August 26, 2026, source). 1 event is on the county's rows; a rule about the area is not a decision about this record.
What is still unknown about Google Columbia County data center?
-
Not disclosed by any source on file: how much power it needs, how much water it would use, how loud it would be, jobs once it runs, tax it would pay each year, who is constructing it, grid connection, how it is cooled. No missing primary document is listed for this record yet; What the record lacks is where one appears when a person names it.
Sources
Primary documents
- Google: Data center locations, Google, September 14, 2026
Reporting
- Columbia County pitches Google project as path to property tax relief - The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Chronicle, August 28, 2026, query feed
- Georgia Power, Google to upgrade Plant Vogtle? What's happening - The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Chronicle, September 22, 2026, local outlet
- Georgia Power nuclear reactors to get huge face lift, paid partly by Google - ajc.com, ajc.com, September 22, 2026, local outlet
- Google data center could generate billions, add jobs, and new households - WRDW, WRDW, September 23, 2026, local outlet
- What Google’s Data Center could mean for Columbia County’s Economy - WFXG FOX54, WFXG FOX54, September 23, 2026, local outlet
- $17bn Google Data Center in Columbia County Advances as Firm Finalizes Agreement with Officials - Construction Review, Construction Review, August 31, 2026, local outlet
7 sources on file.
Cite this record
Data Center Record, "Google Columbia County data center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/google-columbia-county-data-center-ga, last verified September 25, 2026.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "Google Columbia County data center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/google-columbia-county-data-center-ga. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
For researchers
- Slug
- google-columbia-county-data-center-ga
- Status value
- under_construction
- Stage
- Being built
- Tier
- skeleton
- Tags
- skeleton
- Place id
- us/ga/columbia-county
- Coordinates
- 33.5458, -82.3158
- Location precision
- county
- Location source
- County seat (Appling), Wikidata, placed at county level
- Coordinate source
- wikidata county seat
- Location source number
- Not disclosed
- Location last verified
- September 16, 2026
- EPA registry id
- Not disclosed
- Use type values
- not_disclosed
- Tenancy value
- not_disclosed
- Cooling type value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity basis
- not_disclosed
- Water basis
- not_disclosed, gallons_per_day
- Acreage basis
- third_party_estimate
- Interconnection value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity, if disclosed
- Not disclosed
- Rating of the county's rows
- Not disclosed
- Published
- 2026-09-14
- Last verified
- 2026-09-25