Clarendon County administration responds to pushback on proposed data center
Clarendon County administration is addressing community concerns about a potential data center project. While no formal plans are official, a contract exists for a building at Ram Bay Industrial Park, and a data center moratorium has had its first reading. The county is refuting claims about negative impacts on power, noise, air, and water.
Clarendon County leaders took to social media and issued a factsheet Wednesday to address significant community concerns and questions regarding a proposed data center. Although official plans are not yet finalized, Santee Electric has already entered a contract with an unnamed data center to potentially secure a building at the Ram Bay Industrial Park.
The county administration clarified that it would not receive direct monetary benefits from the data center's arrival and currently lacks the legal authority to prevent its development. However, a first reading of a data center moratorium was conducted at a recent county meeting on August 10th, though it requires a third and final reading to take effect.
Officials explicitly denied that a modern data center would significantly impact power capacity, noise, air quality, or water resources. They highlighted that contemporary data centers utilize closed-loop cooling systems that recycle water, with an estimated need of 40,000 gallons that would be continuously reused rather than replenished. The county expects an estimated $4.5 million in annual tax revenue if the data center is established.
The factsheet, provided by the Clarendon County Economic Development Department, is available on the Clarendon County Administration Facebook page. The county explained its previous silence on the matter was due to not wanting to release speculative or incomplete information.