Cuthbert

Researched: 2026-08-02 · Lead source: Brockovich AI Data Center community map (1 resident report, 2026-07-22) · ZIP demographics: 72.0% Black, pop 4,576 (Census ACS 2023) · County: Randolph (approx. 67.4% Black) Status: OPERATING — LN Compute Inc. bitcoin mining data center, 50 Industrial Blvd, ~7–8 MW, opened September 2025

This is research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice.

0. Snapshot

The resident report is real and verifiable. Cuthbert has an operating data center. It is a bitcoin mine, not a hyperscale AI campus — and the difference matters both ways.

The three findings that matter most for residents:

1. It arrived without a visible public process. No Cuthbert City Council vote, no Randolph County Board of Commissioners vote, no zoning hearing, no conditional-use permit, and no development authority approval could be found. The same company was voted down by residents in Pierce County, Coffee County, and Monroe County, Georgia. Cuthbert generated no coverage at all until the ribbon-cutting.
2. Randolph County has no data center ordinance and no moratorium — while roughly one in five Georgia counties now has one or is drafting one.
3. No permanent jobs number was ever published — not by the company, not by the mayor, not by the one news outlet that covered it. Everyone talked about the tax digest instead.

And the flag nobody has raised: the facility is liquid-cooled and the operator specifically chose Cuthbert because of the quality of the municipal water supply. Cuthbert sits in the Clayton aquifer region, where Georgia EPD is permitting no new withdrawals in southwest Georgia because pumping badly exceeded recharge for decades. No water consumption figure for this facility has been published.

1. The Facility & Where It Sits

LN Compute Inc. — Cuthbert

All accessed 2026-08-02.

Scale, honestly stated. This is a small facility. Six shipping-container-sized modules on under an acre drawing ~7 MW is not remotely comparable to the 324 MW Microsoft campus in Union City or the proposed 1,400 MW QTS campus in Early County. In the landscape of what is happening to Georgia, Cuthbert got a small footprint.

But the operator's record is not small, and it is not clean. LN Energy / LN Compute has been rejected repeatedly elsewhere in Georgia:

• Pierce County Commission unanimously denied its conditional-use permit for a mine at 1199 Cason Road, Blackshear (the Rehobeth Church community), in February 2025.
• It was also turned back in Douglas, Coffee County, and outside Forsyth, Monroe County. Sources: https://theminermag.com/news/2025-02-19/georgia-bitcoin-mining-permit-den · https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ln-compute-denied-permission-for-cryptomining-data-center-in-georgia/ · https://www.theblacksheartimes.com/article/4369,first-vote-is-no-on-bitcoin-mining (accessed 2026-08-02)

And the exit path is documented. LN Energy / LN Compute has previously sold Georgia data centers to CleanSpark, which acquired five Georgia mining facilities adding 60 MW of infrastructure. CleanSpark is the largest crypto operator in Georgia, with 14 mining operations using roughly 620 MW. Sources: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cleanspark-announces-acquisition-of-five-new-bitcoin-mining-facilities-in-georgia-adding-60-mw-of-infrastructure-302175030.html · https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/12/04/the-costs-of-crypto-mining-in-georgia-will-it-be-regulated-along-new-data-center (accessed 2026-08-02)

Any other data center in Randolph County or Cuthbert: Not found as of 2026-08-02. No hyperscale campus, no second crypto site, no announced AI project.

The border — where it sits in town

• Location: Cuthbert's industrial park, 50 Industrial Blvd, off Broad Street. Broad Street in Cuthbert is the US-27 / US-82 corridor — Cuthbert sits at that junction. Sources: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ln-energy-launches-7mw-cryptomine-in-georgia/ · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert,_Georgia
• The siting rationale, from the operator directly. Project manager Hao Chen told WALB the industrial park "offered space away from residential areas," that the city's infrastructure could carry the load, and that water quality testing showed the municipal supply was "great," with low mineral content compared to the well water at their other sites. Source: https://www.walb.com/2025/09/25/new-crypto-mine-could-pump-millions-into-south-georgia-community/ (accessed 2026-08-02) Note what that confirms: the facility uses city water, not wells.
• Andrew College is at 413 / 501 College Street, Cuthbert — a different corridor from the industrial park. Founded 1854, the ninth-oldest college in Georgia and the second in the nation to grant degrees to women. Spring 2026 enrollment: 510 students, up 17% from 435 — its largest spring enrollment in history. Sources: https://www.andrewcollege.edu/tag/enrollment/ · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_College (accessed 2026-08-02)
• Exact measured distance to the nearest homes, schools, and churches: Not found as of 2026-08-02. No published setback, buffer, or distance figure exists. Cuthbert is roughly 1.5 sq mi of dense small-town grid, so "away from neighborhoods" inside the city limits is a relative claim that needs a parcel map or a site visit to test.
• Noise complaints in Cuthbert: Not found as of 2026-08-02. See §7 — this is the most important gap in the record and the thing most likely to change.

2. Public Hearings & Notices

No record found of any Cuthbert City Council vote, Randolph County Board of Commissioners vote, zoning hearing, rezoning, conditional-use permit, or development authority approval for this facility. Not found as of 2026-08-02.

The most likely explanation — and this is an inference, not a verified fact — is that the parcel was already zoned industrial inside an existing industrial park, so no discretionary approval was required. That would be entirely lawful and entirely invisible. Confirm it with Randolph County Planning & Zoning. Every other LN Energy project that reached a public vote (Pierce, Coffee, Monroe) produced news coverage and organized opposition. Cuthbert produced neither.

Randolph County does have zoning. Planning & Zoning handles the Official Zoning District Maps, Zoning Compliance Certificates, Conditional Use, Variance and Rezoning.

• Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 18 (PDF): https://www.randolphcountyga.com/documents/CODE%20ENFORCEMENT/zoning-ordinance-part-1.pdf
• Planning & Zoning page: https://www.randolphcountyga.com/planning-&-zoning
• Ordinances index: https://www.randolphcountyga.com/ordinances
• Comprehensive Plan (Randolph County with Cuthbert & Shellman), via Georgia DCA: https://dca.georgia.gov/randolph-county-w-cities-cuthbert-shellman-comprehensive-plan

Randolph County data center ordinance or moratorium: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Randolph County is not named in GPB's statewide ordinance roundup.

Statewide context — the wave Randolph is not part of. Since October 2025 the count of Georgia local governments with a data center ordinance grew roughly threefold. As of June 5, 2026, 34 counties and 23 cities had moratoriums, drafted ordinances, or ordinances in drafting — about one in five Georgia counties. Randolph is not among them. Sources: https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/10/22/wave-of-data-center-ordinances-sweep-through-ga-counties-how-strict-are-they · https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/georgia-data-center-ordinances-most-154058839.html · https://dcmap.us/insights/policy/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Legal notices. georgiapublicnotice.com was searched — no Randolph County data center notices surfaced. Not found as of 2026-08-02. https://www.georgiapublicnotice.com/

Meeting schedules (see §8 for full contacts):

• Cuthbert City Council: second Monday, 6:00 PM. Source: https://www.gacities.com/gma-cities-districts/cuthbert/21072
• Randolph County Board of Commissioners: meets at The Government Center, 93 Front Street, Cuthbert, GA 39840. Recent regular meetings observed at 8:00–8:30 AM (e.g., a February 10, 2026 meeting at 8:00 AM and a March 10, 2026 regular meeting). The standing day-of-month rule is Not found as of 2026-08-02 — confirm by phone. Source: https://www.randolphcountyga.com/meetings.cfm?id=5374

3. Power

Correcting a common assumption first: Cuthbert is NOT a MEAG member. The Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia's participant list (56 communities) does not include Cuthbert. So the "city municipal electric utility" theory is disproven. Source: https://www.meagpower.org/participants/participant-profiles/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Sumter EMC serves Randolph County. Sumter EMC's territory covers 11 southwest Georgia counties: Chattahoochee, Dougherty, Lee, Marion, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell, Webster. Sources: https://sumteremc.coop/sumter-emc · https://georgiaemc.com/page/EMCsByCounty (accessed 2026-08-02)

Georgia Power is also present in and around Cuthbert per rate directories. Source: https://wattbuy.com/en/electricity-rates/georgia/cuthbert/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Which utility actually serves 50 Industrial Blvd: Not found as of 2026-08-02. LN Compute states that all five of its Georgia sites run on long-term interruptible-load agreements with local Electric Membership Cooperatives, which points to Sumter EMC — but no source names Sumter EMC for the Cuthbert site specifically. Verify directly with Sumter EMC. Source: https://www.datacenters.com/providers/ln-compute-inc (accessed 2026-08-02)

Interruptible load is the industry norm here. Georgia crypto mines run on interruptible power purchase agreements that allow curtailment during peak demand, and all Georgia crypto mines tracked are powered by MEAG or EMC facilities. CleanSpark's Georgia rate has been reported at 4–6 cents per kWh — far below what residents pay. Source: https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/12/04/the-costs-of-crypto-mining-in-georgia-will-it-be-regulated-along-new-data-center (accessed 2026-08-02)

The critical regulatory gap

The Georgia PSC's data center rules apply to Georgia Power large loads at a 100 MW threshold (January 2025 rule). A ~7–8 MW EMC-served load is far below that threshold — and separately, the Georgia PSC does not regulate EMC or municipal electric retail rates at all.

There is effectively no state ratepayer-protection backstop for this facility. Whatever protections exist for Randolph County ratepayers have to be written locally, and none have been.

Sources: https://psc.ga.gov/site/assets/files/8617/media_advisory_data_centers_rule_1-23-2025.pdf · https://psc.ga.gov/site/downloads/datacenterfactsheet.pdf (March 2026 PSC Data Center Fact Sheet) · https://psc.ga.gov/utilities/electric/emc-and-municipal-electric-systems/ · https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/georgia-psc-approves-new-billing-rules-for-data-centers-and-large-load-customers/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

New substations or transmission in Randolph County: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Note that Georgia Power's ten-year plan includes 1,000+ miles of new transmission and the company is already using eminent domain for corridors elsewhere in the state. Sources: https://fortune.com/2026/07/26/georgia-power-utility-company-eminent-domain-grid-expansion-data-center/ · https://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-power-ai-data-centers-eminent-domain/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

4. Water & Drought

Sewer. The City of Cuthbert Water Pollution Control Plant holds NPDES Permit GA0037249 and discharges up to 0.60 MGD monthly average of treated domestic wastewater to Town Branch, in the Flint River Basin. Source: https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Agency/EnSuite/Shared/pages/util/StreamDoc.ashx?id=996743&type=PERMIT_FILLED_PDF (accessed 2026-08-02)

Drinking water source. Cuthbert is in the Clayton aquifer region of southwest Georgia. The specific Cuthbert public water system ID, well count, and permitted withdrawal capacity are Not found as of 2026-08-02.

⚠️ The aquifer is the real story here

The Clayton aquifer has a very small recharge area. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, agricultural and municipal pumping greatly exceeded recharge and water levels dropped precipitously. Georgia EPD is permitting NO new withdrawals from the Clayton aquifer in southwest Georgia. Sources: https://ga.water.usgs.gov/infodata/gwconditions/clayton.php · https://epd.georgia.gov/sites/epd.georgia.gov/files/related_files/site_page/IC-55.pdf (accessed 2026-08-02)

Put that next to the operator's own stated reason for choosing Cuthbert — the quality of the municipal water — and the fact that the facility is liquid-cooled, and the unanswered question is obvious.

Actual water consumption figures for this facility: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Closed-loop immersion cooling uses very little makeup water; evaporative cooling does not. Which one this is has not been published. This is the single highest-value question a Cuthbert resident could ask, and it should go to the City Manager (see §8).

Drought. As of the July 14, 2026 reading, roughly 33% of Georgia was in active drought (26.6% D1 Moderate, 6% D2 Severe) plus 52% Abnormally Dry (D0). As of July 28, 2026, about 47.9% of the Lower 48 was in drought. The Georgia EPD declared a Level 1 Drought Response statewide on April 27, 2026. Sources: https://www.plantmaps.com/en/us/state/georgia/current-drought-conditions · https://www.drought.gov/current-conditions (accessed 2026-08-02)

Randolph County's specific U.S. Drought Monitor category as of late July / August 2026 is Not found as of 2026-08-02 — the county endpoints were unreachable during this research. Pull it yourself: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?GA=

5. Population & Who Lives Here

This is a textbook shrinking Black Belt county, and the numbers deserve to be stated plainly.

ZCTA 39840 (this report's subject)

Source: http://censusreporter.org/profiles/86000US39840-39840/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

City of Cuthbert

• 2020 Census: 3,143 — down 18.8% from 3,873 in 2010. 100% rural.
• 80.4% Black or African American; 15.4% White non-Hispanic
• Elevation 466 ft; at US-27 and US-82. Columbus 57 mi north, Albany 45 mi east, Eufaula AL 26 mi west
• Georgia Municipal Association lists 3,143 official / 2,912 estimate — still shrinking

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert,_Georgia · https://www.gacities.com/gma-cities-districts/cuthbert/21072 (accessed 2026-08-02)

Randolph County

• Population 6,196 — 146th of Georgia's 159 counties
• Poverty 30.04%
• 67.4% Black, 26.8% White, 4.2% Hispanic

Sources: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/randolphcountygeorgia/PST045223 · https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/georgia/randolph-county · http://censusreporter.org/profiles/05000US13243-randolph-county-ga/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

The one countervailing trend

Andrew College is growing. Founded 1854, United Methodist, SACSCOC-accredited. Spring 2026 enrollment: 510 students, up 17% year over year — the largest spring enrollment in its history. In a county losing roughly 19% of its population per decade, that is a rare positive signal and a genuine institutional anchor. Source: https://www.andrewcollege.edu/tag/enrollment/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

What this combination means. A county with 30% poverty, median household income under $23,000 in the ZIP, and a century of population loss has essentially no leverage in a negotiation and every reason to say yes to any revenue. That is not a criticism of local officials — it is a structural description of why this industry looks where it looks.

6. Money — Abatements, Incentives, Jobs

Randolph County Development Authority — created in 1962 to promote industrial and commercial expansion. It partners with the Randolph County Chamber, the Board of Commissioners, the cities of Cuthbert and Shellman, and the Airport Authority. 51 Court Street, Cuthbert, GA 39840 · (229) 732-2683 Sources: https://www.randolphcountyga.com/development-authority · https://randolphcountyeda.com/ · https://www.randolphcountychamber.org/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Tax abatement, PILOT, or bond deal for LN Compute: Not found as of 2026-08-02. No published incentive agreement was located.

What the officials said instead — and it's the opposite of an abatement story. Mayor Bobby Jenkins framed the project as putting equipment onto the county tax digest, helping to lower the county tax rate. Project manager Hao Chen:

"It's 5,000 households that moved into this tiny data center, and it's paying 5,000 households' worth of utility bills. That translates directly into tax revenue."

Source: https://www.walb.com/2025/09/25/new-crypto-mine-could-pump-millions-into-south-georgia-community/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Whether any abatement offsets that is unverified. Get the Development Authority minutes.

The state exemption

Georgia's data center sales and use tax exemption is still in effect, sunsetting January 1, 2032. The 2026 session ended with nothing passed:

Roughly 20 data center bills failed in the 2026 Georgia session. Georgia is projected to forgo on the order of $2.5 billion in state and local revenue to the exemption in FY2026. Sources: https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/03/georgia-senate-votes-to-claw-back-data-center-tax-breaks/ · https://www.wabe.org/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/ · https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09042026/georgia-legislature-data-center-bills-fail/ · https://www.alston.com/en/insights/publications/2026/02/georgia-sales-tax-exemptions-data-centers · https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/02/26/data-center-bill-stalls-after-last-minute-change-opposed-by-industry-finds-support/ · https://www.audits2.ga.gov/reports/summaries/georgia-data-center-sales-use-tax-exemption/ · https://www.congressweb.com/GEAN/bills/detail/id/57299/type/state · https://goodjobsfirst.org/georgia-data-center-tax-breaks/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Jobs — and the silence is the finding

NOT ONE PERMANENT JOB NUMBER WAS PUBLISHED. Not found as of 2026-08-02. WALB, Data Center Dynamics, and the company all led with revenue and tax digest, never headcount. Crypto mines nationally run on a handful of technicians, and a six-container, sub-one-acre site is consistent with single-digit permanent staff.

If anyone tells you this facility brought employment to Cuthbert, ask for the number in writing from the Development Authority at (229) 732-2683.

7. Community Reaction & News Coverage

The only substantive local coverage found is one WALB story, entirely positive, published the day the facility opened.

• WALB, September 25, 2025 — "New crypto mine could pump millions into a South Georgia community": https://www.walb.com/2025/09/25/new-crypto-mine-could-pump-millions-into-south-georgia-community/
• Data Center Dynamics — "LN Energy launches 7MW cryptomine in Georgia": https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ln-energy-launches-7mw-cryptomine-in-georgia/
• WALB Randolph County news feed: https://www.walb.com/news/local-news/randolph/

No Albany Herald, Georgia Recorder, The Current GA, Inside Climate News, or Grist coverage of the Cuthbert facility specifically. Not found as of 2026-08-02. Randolph Southern Star / Southern Star newspaper — no online presence located. Not found as of 2026-08-02. No noise complaints from Cuthbert residents found. Not found as of 2026-08-02. No organized opposition, petition, church or community group activity, or lawsuit found. Not found as of 2026-08-02.

This absence is itself the finding. A facility opened in a 72%-Black town and produced exactly one news story, written from the ribbon-cutting. That is what "small towns get almost no press" looks like in practice.

What Cuthbert has not yet experienced — but other Georgia communities have:

• The Current GA, "Cryptocurrency mining stirs concerns across rural Georgia" (June 1, 2024): https://thecurrentga.org/2024/06/01/cryptocurrency-mining-stirs-concerns-across-rural-georgia/ — also carried by the Albany Herald: https://albanyherald.com/news/cryptocurrency-mining-stirring-concerns-across-rural-georgia/
• Environmental Working Group, Georgia-specific: "Trapped in their own home by bitcoin mining's incessant din": https://www.ewg.org/research/proof-problems-bitcoin-minings-pollution-toll-us-communities/georgia
• Greenpeace, "Polluting Bitcoin mines come to rural Georgia" — names Sandersville, Norcross, Washington, College Park, Dalton, Adel, Forsyth; does not mention Cuthbert or Randolph County: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/polluting-bitcoin-mines-come-to-rural-georgia/
• GPB, December 4, 2025 — "The costs of crypto mining in Georgia. Will it be regulated along with new data center rules?": https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/12/04/the-costs-of-crypto-mining-in-georgia-will-it-be-regulated-along-new-data-center
• Inside Climate News on the 2026 legislative failure: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09042026/georgia-legislature-data-center-bills-fail/
• The Current GA, April 3, 2026 — Georgia lawmakers' failure to act on data center concerns draws community ire: https://thecurrentga.org/2026/04/03/georgia-lawmakers-failure-to-act-on-data-center-concerns-draws-community-ire/
• Georgia Recorder, July 27, 2026 — a pro-data-center PR group launched in Georgia: https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/07/27/pro-data-center-group-launches-in-georgia-to-try-to-win-over-critics/

All accessed 2026-08-02.

8. Find Out For Yourself

City of Cuthbert

Source: https://www.cuthbertga.org/your-government.cfm (accessed 2026-08-02)

⚠️ Phone discrepancy — both numbers appear on official sources. The Georgia Municipal Association lists Cuthbert City Hall as 64 Pearl Street, (229) 732-3761, fax (229) 732-3762 (https://www.gacities.com/gma-cities-districts/cuthbert/21072). Try (229) 732-3161 first (the city's own site), (229) 732-3761 as backup.

• City Council meetings: SECOND MONDAY, 6:00 PM. Source: https://www.gacities.com/gma-cities-districts/cuthbert/21072
• Agendas & minutes: https://www.cuthbertga.org/agenda-center.cfm
• Water/sewer: the city bills utilities online (https://www.cuthbertga.org/) and lists a Public Works department. A separately named water department head is Not found as of 2026-08-02 — route through City Manager Corderal Gilbert, (229) 732-2696.

Randolph County

Source: https://www.randolphcountyga.com/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Utility

• Sumter EMC (serves Randolph County): https://sumteremc.coop/sumter-emc
• EMC service territory by county: https://georgiaemc.com/page/EMCsByCounty
• Georgia PSC on why EMC rates aren't state-regulated: https://psc.ga.gov/utilities/electric/emc-and-municipal-electric-systems/

State

Newsrooms

• WALB (Albany) — the outlet that actually covers Randolph County: https://www.walb.com/news/local-news/randolph/
• Albany Herald: https://albanyherald.com
• Georgia Recorder: https://georgiarecorder.com · The Current GA: https://thecurrentga.org · GPB: https://www.gpb.org
• Inside Climate News: https://insideclimatenews.org

Local paper tip line: Not found as of 2026-08-02. No online presence located for the Randolph Southern Star. Use WALB's contact page.

Three calls that would close the biggest gaps

1. Sumter EMC — who serves 50 Industrial Blvd, on what rate, under what interruptible terms.
2. City Manager Corderal Gilbert, (229) 732-2696 — the facility's monthly water draw, the cooling method (closed-loop vs. evaporative), and the city's remaining permitted water capacity.
3. Randolph County Development Authority, (229) 732-2683 — the LN Compute agreement: any abatement, any PILOT, and the committed permanent jobs figure.

And one question for the second Monday at 6:00 PM: why does Randolph County still have no data center ordinance, when about one in five Georgia counties now does?

9. If You're Thinking About Moving Here

This is an honest read, not advice. Talk to your own professionals.

What's actually there: one small bitcoin mine — six containerized modules on under an acre in the industrial park, ~7–8 MW, $1.45 million. This is not a 1,000-acre hyperscale campus. Compared to Union City's 324 MW or Early County's proposed 1,400 MW, Cuthbert got a comparatively small footprint, sited in an industrial park rather than next to a subdivision. That is the correct place for it, and it is more than a lot of communities got.

The five things that should give you pause:

1. It arrived without a visible public process. No hearing, no vote, no ordinance found. The same company was voted down in Pierce, Coffee, and Monroe counties by residents who got a say. Cuthbert residents apparently didn't — most likely because the parcel was already industrial-zoned. A county with no data center ordinance and no moratorium has no tool to say no to the next one, and the next one may not be small. One in five Georgia counties has now built that tool. Randolph has not.

2. Noise is the number-one crypto-mine complaint nationally, and it hasn't been tested here yet. The facility opened in September 2025. No complaints were found — but "no complaints reported" ten months in is weak evidence, not proof, in a town with no local newspaper. Liquid and immersion cooling are genuinely quieter than air-cooled fan walls, which is a real point in this site's favor. Before buying anything within earshot of the industrial park, go stand there at 2 a.m. That is not a figure of speech.

3. The water question is unanswered, and the aquifer is the fragile part. The operator picked Cuthbert partly because of the municipal water quality. The Clayton aquifer has a tiny recharge area, was drawn down badly through the 1990s, and Georgia EPD is issuing no new withdrawals from it in southwest Georgia. Nobody has published how much water this facility uses. In a county already carrying drought, that is the gap to close first.

4. There is no regulatory backstop. This is an EMC-served load under ~8 MW. The PSC's large-load rules target Georgia Power loads above 100 MW, and the PSC doesn't regulate EMC retail rates at all. The 2026 legislature killed roughly 20 data center bills — every ratepayer-protection measure failed. Whatever protections exist here, local government has to write them itself, and it hasn't.

5. The jobs number was never stated. Not by the company, not by the mayor, not by WALB. Everyone talked about the tax digest instead. Get the number in writing from the Development Authority before believing any employment claim.

What's genuinely in the plus column. Mayor Jenkins isn't wrong that a county with 30% poverty and 19%-per-decade population loss needs revenue, and equipment on the tax digest is real money that is not obviously being abated. Andrew College is growing — 510 students this spring, up 17%, its largest spring enrollment ever — which is a rare positive signal in a Black Belt county and a genuine institutional anchor. Land and housing are extremely cheap (median owner-occupied value $77,600 in the ZIP). The facility is small, quiet by design, and in the right zoning district.

Bottom line. The existing facility is small and probably livable. The risk isn't this data center — it's the absence of any rule about the next one, in a county whose officials have publicly welcomed revenue opportunity, sitting on a stressed aquifer, with a state legislature that just declined to help and a state commission with no jurisdiction over the utility that serves it. If you buy here, the highest-leverage thing you can do is show up on the second Monday at 6:00 PM and ask why Randolph County still has no data center ordinance.

10. Sources

All accessed 2026-08-02.

The facility

• LN Compute Inc. — https://www.lncompute.com/
• Data Center Map, LN Compute Cuthbert — https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/georgia/cuthbert/ln-compute-cuthbert/
• Datacenters.com, LN Compute Inc. Cuthbert — https://www.datacenters.com/ln-compute-inc-cuthbert
• Datacenters.com, LN Compute Inc. provider page — https://www.datacenters.com/providers/ln-compute-inc
• Data Center Dynamics, LN Energy launches 7MW cryptomine in Georgia — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ln-energy-launches-7mw-cryptomine-in-georgia/
• WALB, New crypto mine could pump millions into a South Georgia community (9/25/2025) — https://www.walb.com/2025/09/25/new-crypto-mine-could-pump-millions-into-south-georgia-community/
• WALB, Randolph County news feed — https://www.walb.com/news/local-news/randolph/

The operator's record elsewhere

• The Miner Mag, Georgia bitcoin mining permit denied (2/19/2025) — https://theminermag.com/news/2025-02-19/georgia-bitcoin-mining-permit-den
• Data Center Dynamics, LN Compute denied permission for cryptomining data center in Georgia — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ln-compute-denied-permission-for-cryptomining-data-center-in-georgia/
• The Blackshear Times, First vote is no on bitcoin mining — https://www.theblacksheartimes.com/article/4369,first-vote-is-no-on-bitcoin-mining
• PR Newswire, CleanSpark acquires five Georgia bitcoin mining facilities (60 MW) — https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cleanspark-announces-acquisition-of-five-new-bitcoin-mining-facilities-in-georgia-adding-60-mw-of-infrastructure-302175030.html

Local government

• City of Cuthbert, Your Government — https://www.cuthbertga.org/your-government.cfm
• City of Cuthbert, home / utility billing — https://www.cuthbertga.org/
• City of Cuthbert, Agenda Center — https://www.cuthbertga.org/agenda-center.cfm
• Georgia Municipal Association, Cuthbert — https://www.gacities.com/gma-cities-districts/cuthbert/21072
• Randolph County, Georgia — home — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/
• Randolph County, County Clerk — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/county-clerk
• Randolph County, Board of Commissioners — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/board-of-commissioners
• Randolph County, Contact Us — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/contact
• Randolph County, Department Information — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/dept-info
• Randolph County, Cuthbert page — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/cuthbert
• Randolph County, meetings — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/meetings.cfm · https://www.randolphcountyga.com/meetings.cfm?id=5374
• Randolph County, agenda center — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/agenda-center
• Randolph County, BOC minutes archive — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/document_center.cfm?fid=416&ysnDC=1
• Randolph County, Code Enforcement — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/code-enforcement
• Randolph County, Planning & Zoning — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/planning-&-zoning
• Randolph County Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 18 (PDF) — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/documents/CODE%20ENFORCEMENT/zoning-ordinance-part-1.pdf
• Randolph County, Ordinances — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/ordinances
• Randolph County, Development Authority — https://www.randolphcountyga.com/development-authority
• Randolph County EDA — https://randolphcountyeda.com/
• Randolph County Chamber of Commerce — https://www.randolphcountychamber.org/
• Georgia DCA, Randolph County (with Cuthbert & Shellman) Comprehensive Plan — https://dca.georgia.gov/randolph-county-w-cities-cuthbert-shellman-comprehensive-plan
• Georgia County Clerks Association member directory — https://www.georgiacca.com/member_directory.cfm?sid=122
• ACCG, Randolph County — https://www.accg.org/county.php?county=randolph

Power

• Sumter EMC — https://sumteremc.coop/sumter-emc
• Georgia EMC, EMCs by county — https://georgiaemc.com/page/EMCsByCounty
• MEAG Power, participant profiles (Cuthbert not listed) — https://www.meagpower.org/participants/participant-profiles/
• WattBuy, Cuthbert GA electricity rates — https://wattbuy.com/en/electricity-rates/georgia/cuthbert/
• Georgia PSC, EMC and municipal electric systems — https://psc.ga.gov/utilities/electric/emc-and-municipal-electric-systems/
• Georgia PSC, large-load rule media advisory (1/23/2025) — https://psc.ga.gov/site/assets/files/8617/media_advisory_data_centers_rule_1-23-2025.pdf
• Georgia PSC, Data Center Fact Sheet (March 2026) — https://psc.ga.gov/site/downloads/datacenterfactsheet.pdf
• Data Center Dynamics, Georgia PSC approves new billing rules — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/georgia-psc-approves-new-billing-rules-for-data-centers-and-large-load-customers/
• Fortune, Georgia Power eminent domain grid expansion — https://fortune.com/2026/07/26/georgia-power-utility-company-eminent-domain-grid-expansion-data-center/
• CBS News, Georgia Power AI data centers eminent domain — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-power-ai-data-centers-eminent-domain/

Water & drought

• Georgia EPD GEOS, City of Cuthbert Water Pollution Control Plant, NPDES GA0037249 — https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Agency/EnSuite/Shared/pages/util/StreamDoc.ashx?id=996743&type=PERMIT_FILLED_PDF
• USGS, Clayton aquifer groundwater conditions — https://ga.water.usgs.gov/infodata/gwconditions/clayton.php
• Georgia EPD, Information Circular 55 (PDF) — https://epd.georgia.gov/sites/epd.georgia.gov/files/related_files/site_page/IC-55.pdf
• Georgia EPD, water withdrawal permitting — https://epd.georgia.gov/water-withdrawal-permitting
• U.S. Drought Monitor, Georgia — https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?GA=
• Drought.gov, current conditions — https://www.drought.gov/current-conditions
• PlantMaps, Current Georgia drought conditions (July 14, 2026) — https://www.plantmaps.com/en/us/state/georgia/current-drought-conditions

Demographics

• Census Reporter, ZCTA 39840 — http://censusreporter.org/profiles/86000US39840-39840/
• Census Reporter, Randolph County, GA — http://censusreporter.org/profiles/05000US13243-randolph-county-ga/
• U.S. Census QuickFacts, Randolph County, Georgia — https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/randolphcountygeorgia/PST045223
• U.S. Census, Cuthbert CCD, Randolph County profile — https://data.census.gov/profile/Cuthbert_CCD,_Randolph_County,_Georgia?g=060XX00US1324390840
• World Population Review, Randolph County, Georgia — https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/georgia/randolph-county
• Wikipedia, Cuthbert, Georgia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert,_Georgia
• Wikipedia, Randolph County, Georgia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_County,_Georgia
• Wikipedia, Andrew College — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_College
• Andrew College, enrollment — https://www.andrewcollege.edu/tag/enrollment/
• U.S. Census data portal — https://data.census.gov

Policy, tax and statewide coverage

• GPB, The costs of crypto mining in Georgia (12/4/2025) — https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/12/04/the-costs-of-crypto-mining-in-georgia-will-it-be-regulated-along-new-data-center
• GPB, A 'wave' of data center ordinances sweep through GA counties — https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/10/22/wave-of-data-center-ordinances-sweep-through-ga-counties-how-strict-are-they
• Yahoo/Northwest Georgia News, All Georgia data center ordinances — https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/georgia-data-center-ordinances-most-154058839.html
• DC Map, US Data Center Policy Tracker (July 2026) — https://dcmap.us/insights/policy/
• AJC, Georgia Senate votes to claw back data center tax breaks — https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/03/georgia-senate-votes-to-claw-back-data-center-tax-breaks/
• WABE, Advocates frustrated after 20 data center bills fail — https://www.wabe.org/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/
• Inside Climate News, Georgia legislature data center bills fail — https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09042026/georgia-legislature-data-center-bills-fail/
• Alston & Bird, Georgia sales tax exemptions for data centers — https://www.alston.com/en/insights/publications/2026/02/georgia-sales-tax-exemptions-data-centers
• Georgia Recorder, Data center bill stalls after last-minute change (2/26/2026) — https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/02/26/data-center-bill-stalls-after-last-minute-change-opposed-by-industry-finds-support/
• Georgia Recorder, Pro-data-center group launches in Georgia (7/27/2026) — https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/07/27/pro-data-center-group-launches-in-georgia-to-try-to-win-over-critics/
• Georgia Dept. of Audits, data center sales/use tax exemption — https://www.audits2.ga.gov/reports/summaries/georgia-data-center-sales-use-tax-exemption/
• Good Jobs First, Georgia data center tax breaks — https://goodjobsfirst.org/georgia-data-center-tax-breaks/
• HB 1059, Data Center Impact Assessment and Development Moratorium Act of 2026 — https://www.congressweb.com/GEAN/bills/detail/id/57299/type/state
• The Current GA, Cryptocurrency mining stirs concerns across rural Georgia (2024) — https://thecurrentga.org/2024/06/01/cryptocurrency-mining-stirs-concerns-across-rural-georgia/
• Albany Herald, Cryptocurrency mining stirring concerns across rural Georgia — https://albanyherald.com/news/cryptocurrency-mining-stirring-concerns-across-rural-georgia/
• The Current GA, Georgia lawmakers' failure to act draws community ire (4/3/2026) — https://thecurrentga.org/2026/04/03/georgia-lawmakers-failure-to-act-on-data-center-concerns-draws-community-ire/
• EWG, Bitcoin mining's pollution toll — Georgia — https://www.ewg.org/research/proof-problems-bitcoin-minings-pollution-toll-us-communities/georgia
• Greenpeace, Polluting Bitcoin mines come to rural Georgia — https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/polluting-bitcoin-mines-come-to-rural-georgia/
• Georgia Public Notice — https://www.georgiapublicnotice.com/