Burke should pursue data centers

Burke County, North Carolina, faces a pivotal decision regarding its economic future: whether to embrace the burgeoning data center industry or risk falling behind. Allen VanNoppen, publisher of thepaper.media, advocates for the county to actively pursue data center development, drawing parallels to the controversial yet ultimately transformative hydroelectric projects of James B. Duke a century ago. The article highlights a specific proposal by DigiPower X for a $200 million to $500 million data center in Hildebran, for which local officials have already begun adjusting zoning. This comes as North Carolina rapidly becomes a leading hub for data centers, with tech giants like Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft having established facilities in neighboring counties such as Lenoir, Maiden, Forest City, and Conover. VanNoppen points to the success of Google's facility in Lenoir, which became Caldwell County's largest taxpayer, bringing high-paying jobs and anchoring a new tech corridor. While acknowledging potential concerns about noise, infrastructure, and environmental impact—issues that have led other North Carolina communities like Chatham County, Gates County, and the town of Canton to adopt 12-month moratoriums on data center construction—the author argues that Burke County cannot afford to stall. He suggests that data centers represent crucial long-term, infrastructure-level investments that would provide high-paying technical jobs, construction activity, upgraded infrastructure, and a significant boost to the long-term tax base, helping to address local budget shortfalls. Richmond County's success in securing a $10 billion Amazon data center investment near Rockingham is cited as an example of leveraging incentives to attract such development. VanNoppen concludes by urging Burke County's elected and appointed decision-makers to act with courage and transparency, educating residents about both the benefits and risks of data center development to secure a prosperous economic future.