EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. — As southeast Georgia’s coastal plains and fast-growing industrial corridors evaluate a potential wave of data center development, Effingham County has emerged as a key focal point in early discussions about an industry that has not fully arrived but is already shaping policy debates and community concerns. Georgia has become a hub for these facilities — large buildings that house IT infrastructure. Nearly 4,000 data centers are scattered across the United States, with Georgia home to roughly 200. Tech companies are eager to build these centers in Georgia because of tax breaks estimated to cost the state and local governments about $2.5 billion in fiscal year 2026. Several bills circulated through Georgia’s 2026 legislative session regarding data centers, ranging from eliminating tax credits to imposing stricter regulation. It was one of a slew of states that considered moratorium bills to temporarily halt construction — Maine recently became the first state to pass such a ban. However, Georgia lawmakers failed to pass new rules on data centers this year, leaving counties like Effingham to navigate one of the fastest-growing industries in the country largely on their own. In Effingham County, leaders say there are no concrete proposals or confirmed projects from data center companies, but they acknowledge early inquiries and ongoing discussions. “This whole topic is new not only to us but to all development authorities and counties,” Brandt Herndon…
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