JEA has received inquiries about large data centers. Could Jacksonville handle one?

What would happen if one of the massive data centers popping up across Florida wanted to come to Jacksonville? There has already been some interest. – What would happen if one of the massive data centers popping up across Florida wanted to come to Jacksonville?

There has already been some interest.

JEA confirmed to News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee that it has received inquiries about large-load data centers. However, none of those inquiries are currently under evaluation.

But JEA is already looking at what would be needed to serve a customer requiring 50 megawatts of electricity or more.

Right now, the utility says it does not have the electric or water capacity to serve a hyperscale data center.

But the utility is already preparing for the possibility.

JEA is developing a new rate class for large-load customers demanding 50 megawatts or more, with that work continuing into 2027.

“As with other new and revised rates, we will submit the proposed tariff to the Florida Public Service Commission for review,” JEA said. “The proposed tariff would then require approval by the JEA Board of Directors.”

For current JEA customers, another question is who would pay if new infrastructure is needed to serve a large data center. JEA said those costs would fall to the large-load customer.

“We will commit to ensuring that large-load customers pay for their own infrastructure,” JEA stated.

JEA did not identify who made the large-load data center inquiries.

The conversation is already playing out elsewhere in Florida. A statewide database maintained by ElectricChoice tracks data centers in 22 Florida counties, with 52 facilities in Miami-Dade County and 16 in Duval County.

But those numbers include data centers of different sizes. The issue Jacksonville leaders are beginning to examine is what happens if one of the much larger, more power-intensive facilities wants to build here.

Jacksonville has data centers — just not this large

Jacksonville is not new to data centers.

City Councilwoman Moné Holder said the city already has smaller and mid-scale facilities. What it does not currently have, she said, are the massive facilities using 50 megawatts or more that are driving many of the current concerns.

Holder said the issue repeatedly came up while she was campaigning for her at-large City Council seat, with questions coming from communities across Duval County.

“I heard it from the Beaches to Baldwin,” Holder said, adding that residents have questions about the potential long-term effects of much larger data centers and what their arrival could mean for surrounding communities.

Among the concerns Holder said she has heard are potential noise, air and water pollution, heat, and the impact large data centers could have on electricity bills.

Holder said her current understanding is that no 50-megawatt-plus facility is planned for Jacksonville, but she wants the city’s Planning Department to confirm that.

Getting answers before one arrives

Holder is bringing JEA and the city’s Planning Department together for a public meeting to explain what Jacksonville currently has and what would happen if someone wanted to build a much larger data center here.

“You’ll hear some short brief presentations from folks from the Planning Department, from JEA, about what currently exists, what may be coming along the pipeline and what the process is if someone wants to bring a data center to Jacksonville,” Holder said.

JEA can answer the utility questions: whether the system could serve a facility that large, what infrastructure could be required and how those costs would be handled.

Planning can answer the development questions: what do Jacksonville’s rules currently allow, what approvals would be required, and when would the public have an opportunity to weigh in.

The public meeting is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Lynwood Roberts Room at Jacksonville City Hall, 117 W. Duval St. It is open to the public.

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