Data centers and new power in Effingham County, GA
1.9 GW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Effingham County, GA — 13 active requests. Typical wait: 1.6 years. 3 projects are built, 9 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Is one near your house?
We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Effingham County itself — but we track the biggest ones nationally, and requests to connect new power here are on the public record.
What is happening with electricity in Effingham County
Every new power plant, battery or big customer has to join a waiting list before it can plug into the grid. This is what that list looks like in Effingham County right now.
Where every request ever filed here ended up
Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on. That is normal, not a warning sign for Effingham County.
What kind of power is asking to connect
By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.
All the numbers
25 requests ever filed
Source: interconnection queues published by SOCO. Parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Data as of 14 October 2026. A queued project is a request, not a commitment.
Outcome of every request filed here
| Outcome | Projects | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built | 3 | 1.1 GW | 12.0% |
| Still waiting | 13 | 1.9 GW | 52.0% |
| Withdrawn | 9 | 6.2 GW | 36.0% |
| Paused | 0 | — | 0.0% |
Waiting to connect, by type of power
| Type | Projects | Capacity requested |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 12 | 1.6 GW |
| Batteries | 1 | 250 MW |
Key dates for projects here
no dated windows published
| Queue | What closes | Closes | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| FERC | FERC large-load show cause — stakeholder comments on RTO responses Comments on the six RTO/ISO responses to the FPA section 206 show-cause orders of 18 June 2026 (PJM EL26-67, SPP EL26-68, NYISO EL26-69, MISO EL26-70… | No date published yet | unconfirmed source |
| FERC | FERC RM26-4 — generic large-load rulemaking Still at ANOPR stage. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
| FERC | Georgia PSC - Georgia Power must file large-load contracts 30 days before execution A standing obligation rather than a dated one: large-load contracts must be filed with the commission at least 30 days before they are executed. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
A date marked confirmed was checked by a person against the authority's own tariff, order or form page. Anything else is listed so you know it exists, with a link so you can check it yourself. Full calendar.
The biggest projects on file
top 15 by size
| Project | Type | Capacity | Status | Filed | Queue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoPwr-McIntosh CC 1&2 | Natural gas | 1.2 GW | completed | — | SOCO |
| McIntosh CC 1&2 | Natural gas | 1.2 GW | completed | — | SOCO |
| IC-044 | Natural gas | 1.1 GW | withdrawn | — | SOCO |
| IC-122 | Natural gas | 858 MW | withdrawn | — | SOCO |
| IC-1259 | Natural gas | 722 MW | active | 2024-03 | SOCO |
| IC-1260 | Natural gas | 722 MW | active | 2024-03 | SOCO |
| IC-204 | Natural gas | 630 MW | withdrawn | 2003-09 | SOCO |
| IC-205 | Natural gas | 630 MW | withdrawn | 2003-09 | SOCO |
| IC-081 | Natural gas | 620 MW | withdrawn | — | SOCO |
| IC-082 | Natural gas | 620 MW | withdrawn | — | SOCO |
| IC-041 | Natural gas | 595 MW | withdrawn | — | SOCO |
| IC-042 | Natural gas | 595 MW | withdrawn | — | SOCO |
| BC Smith | Natural gas | 547 MW | completed | 2023-09 | SOCO |
| Effingham (aka McCall Road) | Natural gas | 540 MW | completed | 2023-12 | GTC |
| IC-025 | Natural gas | 537 MW | withdrawn | — | SOCO |
How Effingham County compares
#207 in the US · #7 in GA
Effingham County ranks #207 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #7 of 61 in Georgia.
| County | Waiting | Capacity queued |
|---|---|---|
| Heard County | 7 | 4.2 GW |
| Bartow County | 7 | 3.6 GW |
| Coweta County | 6 | 2.6 GW |
| Mitchell County | 6 | 2.4 GW |
| Monroe County | 1 | 2.0 GW |
| Hancock County | 4 | 2.0 GW |
| Sumter County | 5 | 1.4 GW |
| Laurens County | 7 | 1.3 GW |
Common questions about power in Effingham County
How long does it take to get power for a data center in Effingham County, GA?
The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Effingham County is 1.6 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 3 projects in Effingham County have reached energization and 9 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.
How much capacity is available in Effingham County, GA?
1.9 GW is currently requested across 13 active interconnection requests, and 1.1 GW has actually been built. A queued megawatt is a request, not deliverable capacity — most queued projects are never built. For deliverable offtake capacity at a specific substation you need a utility study, not a queue.
Is Effingham County, GA a good site for a data center?
This page gives you the power half of that answer: what is queued, what has been energized, how long the wait runs, and which large load interconnection requests are already recorded nearby. The other half — the state policy position, moratoriums and large load tariffs — is on our Georgia policy page.
Where does the data on this page come from?
The interconnection queue published by the transmission providers serving Effingham County — SOCO — parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Every figure carries the date it was true. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Go deeper on Effingham County
The interactive map plots every one of these applications, and a generated county report puts them in a sourced PDF with the date each figure was true on every page.
Open Effingham County on the map County reports All of Georgia