Public pushback mounts over data centers, proposed battery storage system in Rockdale County

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners(BOC) got an earful from community members this week about a proposal for a lithium-ion battery storage system near the massive DC Blox data center campus that is under construction at the intersection of Rockbridge and Farmer roads.

BOC Chairwoman JaNice Van Ness and Commissioners Tuwanya Smith and Doreen Williams have come under fire as construction crews move full steam ahead with the data center project and mull a proposal for the battery storage system.  

At the board’s March 26 zoning meeting, residents described how blasting from the construction of data centers is tearing up their homes and continually exposing them to high levels of noise throughout the day. They also cited health and environmental concerns related to the data center campus. 

“Every time they blow up something in the ground, another part of my house falls apart. My ceiling is coming down, my steps have separated. I have cracks in the ceiling of my garage. Who’s going to pay for that to get fixed,” demanded Ms. Q. Simmons during the Public Comments portion of the meeting. 

The Board of Commissioners is currently considering a proposal for the addition of the Panola Grove Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) near the data center campus. Treaty Oak Clean Energy(Zurisol LLC) is proposing to rezone a 48.8-acre site and use 10 acres for BESS and its 20-foot battery storage containers. The rest of the property could be used for a dog park, and hiking and walking trails or other eco-friendly uses, said zoning officials who have recommended approval for the battery storage system near the data center campus. 

Data centers house infrastructure of servers and networking equipment that stores, runs and maintains websites, internet-based applications, data and digital services. They are controversial due to their environmental and health concerns, noise pollution, and drain on water and local energy supplies in residential areas. 

Pastor Eugene Nixon told the Board of Commissioners that his church, God’s Vision Ministries, is located at 1908 Rockbridge Road—about 50 to 75 yards from the data center campus. 

“Now when we moved in, we moved into a community. If I wanted to move into a data center area, that’s where I would have put my church,” Nixon told the board during the Public Comments portion of the meeting.  “…As you bring or allow these companies to come in, you are pushing communities out, and if you push communities out, you’re just going to have big buildings that you’re not going to be able to fulfill.”  

Later, during the public hearing portion of the meeting, Pastor Nixon again addressed the board members, asking them to deny any further expansion of the data center campus with the construction of a battery storage system. He pointed out that the Rockdale County Fire Department officials cited environmental and health concerns at a previous meeting. 

“Large scale lithium-ion battery systems have experienced fires in multiple states,” Pastor Nixon said. “This land use doesn’t fit our community. I keep going back to community—and not this big industrial park we’re talking about. There are environmental and health concerns—fire water runoff can contaminate the soil. If we just re-read the concerns of the local fire department that was here the last time we met—they have big concerns.”

During the public hearing, Charlie Watkins, who lives on Lake Rockaway Road, read information from his cell phone concerning the location of data centers and battery storage sites. He shared that battery storage sites are located near data centers to ensure reliable power for data centers, especially during peak demands and power outages. 

“…They are in partnership—the data center and the battery center. If not, why not put it somewhere else?” Watkins asked.

Others who spoke out during the public hearing condemned the board for putting stress on its residents, especially seniors, while continuing a pattern of wasting taxpayers’ money. 

Resident Stephanie Thomas criticized Rockdale’s elected officials’ decision to fund $140M buildings(referring to the new courthouse under construction), “unneccesary trips and top-heavy leadership salaries in the second-smallest county, not to mention to the ridiculous tax increases.” 

To watch the March 26, 2026 Board of Commissioners zoning meeting, click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgoyaQSxnNc