Durham County votes ‘pause’ on data centers, but leaves a key door open

Durham County commissioners have approved a nine-month moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, following a contentious public hearing. The vote, held late Monday night, was 4-1, with Commissioner Nida Allam casting the sole dissenting vote, arguing the measure did not go far enough.

The moratorium aims to provide county staff with sufficient time to research and develop permanent regulations for data centers within county limits. It specifically bars new hyperscale facilities while permitting some enterprise and smaller-scale data centers, up to 100,000 square feet, to proceed. This partial ban mirrors a similar pause enacted by the city of Durham.

During the public hearing, 63 residents expressed strong opposition, with many advocating for a total ban of longer duration, citing concerns about environmental impacts such as high electricity and water demands, particularly during ongoing droughts, as well as noise pollution and potential toxic chemical contamination. Emily Sutton, a local farmer, and Rania Masri, co-director of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, were among those who pushed for a more stringent ban. Conversely, Scott Levitan, president of the Research Triangle Foundation, urged the board to maintain the moratorium's exemptions to safeguard existing operations in Research Triangle Park (RTP).

Commissioner Wendy Jacobs, who supported the measure, stated the importance of balancing the prevention of hyperscale facilities with the protection of ordinary data operations vital to RTP's redevelopment plans. Durham’s Director of Planning and Development, Sarah Young, noted that county staff are collaborating with city and regional partners to examine various issues, including facility size, electrical load, cooling technology, and backup generator emissions. Preliminary drafts of new regulations could be ready by December.