Data centers in Early County, Georgia: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Early County, in Georgia's southwestern corner on the Alabama line, is being courted by QTS, the Blackstone-owned data center company, for "Project Blue Hole": a campus of up to 12 million square feet on undeveloped land off U.S. Highway 27 and Martha Berry Highway, near the Early County airport in Blakely. QTS filed a Development of Regional Impact application with the state for a campus built out by the end of 2035. The county development authority first posted about the project in November 2025, and it had reportedly been in planning since 2024. QTS says it will use closed-loop cooling to limit water use.

The county needs the money. The closure of the Georgia-Pacific paper mill cost more than 535 jobs and will begin shrinking the tax base, and commissioners expect a budget shortfall of more than $1 million this year. In August 2026 Blakely approved a memorandum of understanding with the county, the school board, the development authority and QTS. Under it, QTS will pay the development authority $7.5 million for the first phase and then $7 million a year, split among the city, county and schools. "There's a lot of work to be done. This is just the first step," said city attorney Tommy Coleman, adding that water, sewer and transportation still had to be negotiated with the company. WTVY reported that the project has divided residents between those who want the economic lift and those worried about its environmental effects.

The county has also written rules for any data center outside its towns. After a packed meeting at the Blakely Theatre, where residents raised water, noise, environmental harm and the loss of rural character, commissioners unanimously adopted an ordinance in mid-July 2026. It requires water-efficient cooling, noise limits and a 1,000-foot setback from homes, schools and churches. "We didn't want this to become the Wild Wild West," said County Chairman Hank Jester. The ordinance does not govern Project Blue Hole, which lies inside Blakely's city limits. Early County chose regulation over the moratoriums adopted this year by neighbors such as Terrell and Lee counties.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.