North Carolina approves diesel generator permits for Amazon data center
North Carolina regulators approved air quality permits for Amazon and Duke Energy to operate 649 diesel generators at a new data center campus near Hamlet, despite significant opposition and environmental concerns. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality stated its authority was limited to ensuring compliance with existing air quality standards and could not consider combined emissions or project location. Environmental groups criticized the decision, arguing the generators should have been treated as a single pollution source.
North Carolina regulators have approved two air quality permits for a massive Amazon data center campus under construction near Hamlet, allowing Amazon and Duke Energy to operate a combined 649 diesel generators. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) confirmed that the permits cap annual emissions and adhere to all applicable air quality standards. However, the agency acknowledged its limited statutory authority, which prevented it from considering the project's location or the cumulative emissions from the two sets of generators.
The decision faced considerable opposition from local residents and environmental groups, who voiced concerns about increased diesel pollution in a predominantly low-wealth community already surrounded by industrial facilities. Nearly 200 people attended a public hearing in Rockingham to express their disapproval. Environmental organizations, such as the Southern Environmental Law Center, argued that all 649 generators should have been treated as a single pollution source to necessitate a combined Clean Air Act review, a contention DEQ rejected by determining Amazon and Duke Energy were not under common ownership or control.
DEQ reviewed each project separately, using worst-case operating scenarios, and found emissions would remain within applicable limits. Amazon stated its commitment to responsible building practices and being a good neighbor in Richmond County, highlighting community grants and partnerships. Despite environmentalists' calls for cleaner energy alternatives, DEQ stated it was unlikely that different permitting would have required more stringent emissions control technology than what is currently mandated. Once fully operational, Amazon's $10 billion campus, comprising 21 buildings across nearly 800 acres, is expected to become Duke Energy's largest customer.