A single mother is facing the devastating loss of her cherished family home, as the insatiable demand for AI data centres drives a relentless land grab across neighbourhoods.
Angela Hall, 49, from Georgia in the US, has been given just two months to vacate the property she worked tirelessly to secure for her family in 2002, a home she envisioned passing down through generations.
“I was a very poor single mother before this,” she told the Daily Mail.
“I lived in a housing project when (my daughter) was tiny. I worked my butt off for this house.”
MORE NEWS
Pensioner, 81, vows to fight to save her Aussie home
Elderly couple faces $101k bill for illegal granny flat
‘Illegal’: Neighbour gets backyard shut down
Her daughter, Ansley Brown, 27, describes the situation as a heartbreaking seizure of her childhood memories.
She and her mother have now vowed to fight the “$2bn power company” at any cost.
“They are literally taking my childhood home,” Ms Brown said.
“They want to demolish this property and all two and a half acres of it to build transmission poles for the AI data centres.”
A single mother has two months to abandon the home she fought hard to secure for herself and her daughter, as tech giants bulldoze entire neighbourhoods for AI data centres. Source: 11Alive.
The mother-daughter duo now have until August 1 to find an affordable new home and relocate their entire lives – including furniture, dogs, cats, chickens, and 20 koi fish – from the sanctuary they believed was theirs forever.
The family’s ordeal, which unfolded in rural Georgia, began about a year ago when representatives from Georgia Power, the local electric utility, started surveying the area.
Ms Brown, who admits she was initially unaware of the multibillion-dollar industrial projects fuelling the AI boom, said residents soon received “intimidating” letters, informing them their properties would be acquired through eminent domain, leaving them with no choice.
MORE NEWS: Council threatens mum over kids’ lemonade stand
Ms Hall’s daughter, Ansley Brown, has been raising awareness about the issue via social media. Source: 11Alive.
According to the Daily Mail, Georgia Power states it requires additional transmission lines to meet the soaring electricity demand generated by the rapid expansion of AI data centres, particularly in Coweta and Fayette counties.
The company is reportedly acquiring 21 homes and 330 properties, including vacant land, for this purpose.
While Georgia Power claims it is offering homeowners above market value and is in “positive negotiations” with many residents, Ms Hall’s family remains steadfast in their fight.
This includes Ms Brown’s own online battle, which has gained significant traction after her TikTok videos detailing their plight went viral.
She alleges that Georgia Power’s initial offer was considerably lower, with a more substantial offer only materialising after her social media campaign.
Despite this, she and her mother are determined to save their home.
MORE NEWS: ‘Shut the f*** up’: Cafe’s megaphone showdown
This home that has already been taken with its now former owners leaving a clear message to the power giant. Source: TikTok
The family’s struggle is part of a much broader conflict unfolding around Newnan, Georgia, where residents are fiercely opposing the proliferation of AI data centres in what they describe as tranquil, pastoral neighbourhoods.
“They think we’re a bunch of rednecks and they can dump these centres here and we won’t be able to do anything about it,” Ms Brown lamented.
The most significant contention revolves around Project Sail, a proposed $17 billion AI data centre planned for approximately 830 acres of rural land in western Coweta County.
The project envisions nine buildings spanning over 4.3 million square feet, demanding an estimated 900 megawatts of power – an output comparable to a nuclear reactor.
Residents in Coweta County say sprawling data centre projects are threatening to transform the peaceful countryside into industrial zones.
Despite a year of intense opposition, Coweta commissioners controversially approved the project in April, rezoning the land from rural conservation to industrial use.
Ms Brown’s experience resonates with countless others across the US, where similar battles are raging in states like Virginia, Colorado, Arizona, Tennessee, Michigan, and Texas. Residents are raising concerns about noise pollution, excessive water usage, and unchecked industrial growth.
Despite the formidable opposition, Ms Hall remains resolute.
“Let us be a red flag for what’s coming down the road,” she urged.
“These data centres are destroying our way of life. We got to stand up, we got to get together and stand up and fight for what’s right.”
English (US) · 