The federal Clean Air Act and Georgia's federally-approved State Implementation Plan (SIP) both require companies to obtain a preconstruction permit for new sources of air pollution prior to starting construction. While VoltaGrid has applied for a permit, Georgia law explicitly prohibits building "emission units" before the final air permit is issued. Per the process, EPD published a draft permit for the VoltaGrid project in February, inviting public review and comments through March 13. In response, SELC submitted comments on our behalf, raising major issues with the permit, and Sustainable Newton sent a separate letter as well. To date, EPD is still reviewing those comments and has issued no final permit.
After ground and aerial photographs confirmed illegal activity at the site, Sustainable Newton filed a complaint late last week, along with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Altamaha Riverkeeper, requesting the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) investigate and commence an enforcement action against the Houston-based energy company VoltaGrid for constructing a 90 MW power plant in Covington without obtaining necessary preconstruction air permits. The letter, submitted by our SELC attorneys, includes aerial photographs showing completion of at least eight of 33 reciprocating internal combustion engines the company plans to operate to power the adjacent Serverfarm data center on Hazelbrand Road. The photos also show Serverfarm has installed 36 diesel engines to provide backup power -- also without a permit.
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By Maurice Carter, Co-Founder & Current President
"Regardless of how you feel about AI itself, or the way that it's being rolled out, one thing is inescapable," says the narrator of a new PBS documentary. "Despite tech companies making promises about renewable energy and sustainable technology, much of this massive AI expansion is still being powered by fossil fuels."
We know. Because -- as we reported back in December -- a data center developer (Serverfarm) and an energy company (VoltaGrid) are partnering to install and operate 33 fossil gas-fired engines to power a data center on Hazelbrand Road in Covington. If you live here, this PBS Digital Studios Overview documentary We Saw What AI Data Centers Don't Want You to See is essential viewing. In this episode, investigative reporter Evan Simon uses a drone fitted with a thermal imaging camera to expose the air pollution emanating from the Stargate Data Center in Abilene, TX.
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