The project

What is being built in Washington County.

What is happening

CleanSpark, a data center developer that has operated in Washington County since 2022, announced on July 14, 2026 that it has signed a 20-year lease at its Sandersville campus with a leading global technology company. The lease is expected to generate approximately $6.6 billion over its initial term, and up to $11.6 billion if extension options are exercised. Under the agreement, the technology company will install production-grade computing infrastructure at the campus, with the first deliveries expected to begin in late 2027.

Source: CleanSpark public announcement, July 14, 2026

What is being built

The project adds new purpose-built data center facilities at the Sandersville campus, approximately 470,000 square feet in size, supporting 175 megawatts of computing capacity under the announced lease. CleanSpark has acquired approximately 122 additional acres for the new development, and construction will proceed in stages over several years. Additional detail on the buildings will be published as it is confirmed.

Source: CleanSpark public announcement and public reporting, July 2026

Who is CleanSpark?

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) has operated computing facilities in Washington County since 2022. The company built its business developing and running bitcoin mining data centers and has grown into one of the country's larger data center developers. The newly announced project is different in kind from the existing operation: it is long-term leased infrastructure serving a major global technology company. Over its years here, CleanSpark has been a taxpayer, an employer, and a participant in this community.

Source: CleanSpark public filings and announcements

The tax digest, in plain terms

Every dollar of industrial property value added to the county tax digest is a dollar of county cost that industry carries instead of homeowners. The current county tax digest is approximately $900 million. This single project adds approximately $1.6 billion, increasing the digest to approximately $2.5 billion. County tax receipts are currently just over $20 million annually and are projected to increase to approximately $56 million annually. The deal is structured to keep those tax revenues in Washington County, particularly protecting the public schools and their equalization grants.

CleanSpark is already the number one property taxpayer in Washington County, paying more annually than the county's four major kaolin industries combined.

Source: Development Authority of Washington County

Industrial revenue is already visible in the community, including upgrades at Kaolin Park and other community parks across the county and city.

In 2025, CleanSpark paid $1,980,515.78 in county property taxes and $359,376.23 in city property taxes, plus $4,314,270 in franchise fees to the City of Sandersville. Franchise fee revenue in 2025 funded a citywide LED streetlight upgrade, park upgrades including Linton Park, Henry Watts Community Park, and Christine Harris Park, economic development property investments, an offset of the city millage rate rollback, utility reserves that protect customers from rate increases, and approximately $25,000 in sponsored community events including the community ice skating rink, Downtown Movie Nights, Summer in Sandersville, and Back to School. Local sales tax generated $8,451,861.07 in 2025 across four separate levies: SPLOST, LOST, Education SPLOST (E-SPLOST), and FLOST. SPLOST and LOST are shared across the county and its communities, and E-SPLOST supports the public schools.

Source: City of Sandersville, 2025 figures

What it means for Washington County

Permanent jobs after construction

50 to 100

Construction jobs during the build

Approximately 1,200 workers on site, supporting local shops, restaurants, gas stations, and suppliers

Average annual wage

Just over $100,000, with roles ranging from $65,000 to $315,000

Total capital investment

$7 billion in facilities, equipment, and infrastructure

Annual property tax contribution

More than $2.3 million paid in 2025 across county and city, with the project projected to grow total county tax receipts from about $20 million to about $56 million annually

Local sales tax generated in 2025

$8,451,861.07

Local construction and vendor impact

CleanSpark is committed to using local trades, vendors, and suppliers, with tens of millions of dollars expected to flow into the local economy during construction

Source: Development Authority of Washington County and City of Sandersville. Additional figures will be published as they are confirmed.

How this project was reviewed

Before this project moved forward, the Development Authority and county leadership reviewed it in detail: the cooling system and its water requirements, the effect on electric service, the tax contribution, the demands on public services, and how construction would be managed. As additional answers are confirmed, they are added to this site. Washington County's economy was built on kaolin, timber, agriculture, and manufacturing, and this project was evaluated the same way those industries were.