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QTS outlines $2 billion investment and community open house for Gordon Highway data‑center site
Summary
QTS Data Centers briefed the commission on plans near Gordon Highway, forecasting roughly $2 billion in investment, 160–220 permanent jobs and site work beginning in 2026; the company will host a Feb. 11 community open house to answer questions on water use, power and siting.
QTS Data Centers updated the Augusta‑Richmond County Commission on a rezoned data‑center project along the Gordon Highway corridor and announced a community open house.
Gabrielle De Luise, head of Southeast government relations for QTS, told the commission the company expects to begin site work in 2026 and plans an estimated $2 billion investment; QTS conservatively projects 160–220 permanent jobs across operators, tenants and contractors. De Luise said QTS intends to hire locally, to seek workforce pipelines from Fort Gordon and to run standard QTS sustainability and philanthropy initiatives in host communities.
On operations, QTS described a closed‑loop cooling design intended to minimize ongoing fresh‑water use. "We realize we cannot use so much water. It is not sustainable for the communities that we enter," De Luise said, describing the company’s approach to water‑efficiency and tree‑replanting programs. She invited residents to an open house on Feb. 11 at Bel Air Elementary to review renderings, power and water tables and sustainability materials.
Why it matters: Commissioners said they welcome transparency and outreach; the mayor pro tem and district commissioners organized an early meeting with QTS to schedule public engagement. Commissioners asked for details on the timing of building delivery and community impact; QTS reiterated site work will start this year but building delivery will be phased into future years.
Quote: "We plan to invest around $2,000,000,000 and can conservatively estimate that our tenants will invest 3 to 4x the number of our investment," Gabrielle De Luise said.
Next steps: QTS will host the community open house and continue planning with staff and the commission. Commissioners encouraged residents to attend and submit questions in advance via the company’s contact information.
