COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Residents gathered March 8 for a town hall hosted by Clean Energy Columbus to raise questions about a proposed data center code-named Project Ruby, a $5 billion development proposed for northeast Muscogee County.
Clean Energy Columbus, a local environmental group that holds monthly “Citizens’ Conversations,” organized the meeting. Residents described the project as a “mystery” and said many details remain undisclosed.
Power and water concerns
The proposed data center would require large amounts of power and water to operate. Columbus resident Shaun Tarkington said he attended to learn more about the project — and came away opposed.
“We came out here to hear what the propositions for the data center were,” Tarkington said. “I’m against the data center personally because, for one, they’re extremely loud… and they have to compete for power. In the meeting they said they take about sixty to eighty percent of just one power plant’s power.”…