Rural residents plead with Midlands leaders to hit pause on data centers as resistance in SC grows
Rural residents across South Carolina are increasingly concerned about data center impacts, prompting several counties to consider year-long moratoriums. Fairfield and Orangeburg counties recently held town halls and are weighing bans, with Cayce also exploring restrictions through a zoning ordinance update. This pushback has already delayed significant data center projects in the state.
Across South Carolina, rural communities are raising significant concerns to their local leaders regarding the environmental, health, and economic impacts of large-scale data centers, prompting a wave of proposed development restrictions. Most recently, Fairfield and Orangeburg counties held public town halls, with both county councils considering year-long, county-wide moratoriums on new data center projects. If enacted, these bans would add to a growing list of South Carolina localities, including Lexington, Kershaw, and McCormick counties, that are weighing similar measures. The city of Cayce is also considering new restrictions as part of a zoning ordinance update, which its planning commission is slated to review later this month.
Residents' pushback has already reportedly blocked or delayed an estimated $64 billion worth of data center projects nationwide. In South Carolina, specific projects like Project Spero in Spartanburg, Project Liberty in Marion, and Eagle Rock Partners in Colleton County have faced significant opposition, with one protest drawing 500 people. Concerns primarily revolve around hyperscale data centers' immense demands for energy and water, their potential for noise pollution, and a perceived lack of transparency from developers who often acquire rural land and negotiate utility deals in secret before revealing plans to local governments. Taylor Allred, state energy and climate program director for the Coastal Conservation League, described such facilities as an "environmental disaster," citing estimates that a single hyperscale center could use 900 billion gallons of water annually and contribute to delayed coal plant retirements.
Local officials, such as Orangeburg County Councilmember Latisha Walker, expressed frustration over being excluded from early discussions between developers and entities like the Orangeburg Department of Utilities. Walker initiated a special meeting to consider the moratorium, emphasizing the goal is to study the issue and implement policies for transparency and citizen protection, rather than a complete ban. In Fairfield County, while no specific developer applications have been filed, County Administrator Vic Carpenter acknowledged discussions about potential development land not currently zoned for data centers. Jenkinsville Mayor Gregory Ginyard urged the Fairfield council not to make his community "the dumping ground" for undesirable projects, highlighting existing industrial presence and the environmental risks.
Residents at the town halls voiced fears about increased electricity costs, air pollution, and aquifer depletion, with experts admitting the state's water plan had not adequately considered data center impacts. The ongoing public discourse underscores a deep distrust and a demand for proactive governmental planning and regulation to safeguard community interests against large-scale industrial development.