Data Center Proposal Emerges as County Holds Hearing on Moratorium
Cumberland County and Fayetteville are holding hearings on proposed moratoriums for data center construction amid public concerns over electricity, noise, and water use. During a hearing, PRSM Group announced plans for a 225-megawatt AI data center, while the Fayetteville Public Works Commission argued against a moratorium. Public opposition remains high, though no formal action on a moratorium has been taken yet.
Cumberland County and the city of Fayetteville are currently considering proposed moratoriums and new regulations on data center construction following public discussions that have emerged since September. This comes as data center developers continue to propose new projects, sparking debate over the facilities' environmental impact and local infrastructure strain.
During a recent public hearing on the county's proposed moratorium, Eric Little, a partner with Virginia-based PRSM Group, informed the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners of his company's client's interest in building a two-stage, 2 million-square-foot data center on 50 acres in an industrial park to power artificial intelligence services. This 225-megawatt project would utilize a closed-loop water immersion cooling system. Little urged commissioners to reject a moratorium, acknowledging opponent concerns but asserting that modern technology mitigates past issues.
Public sentiment largely favors a temporary ban on data center construction, with many speakers at the hearing calling for a one-to-three-year moratorium, citing concerns about vast electricity consumption, rising electric rates, noise from cooling systems, and water usage. The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC), however, contends a moratorium is unnecessary. Timothy Bryant, PWC's CEO and General Manager, stated the utility has safeguards in place to protect residential customers, requires large commercial users to pay their fair share, and ensures developers cover any necessary infrastructure upgrades. Two other data center projects, a 200-megawatt facility from Terra Nexus Ventures and a previously planned 300-megawatt project from Energy Storage Solutions (now reportedly not proceeding), were also part of the broader discussion.
As of the latest hearing, neither the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners nor the Fayetteville City Council has taken formal action on enacting a moratorium or new regulations, indicating an ongoing process as they weigh public concerns against economic development interests.