Public hearing planned for Amazon and Duke Energy data center project in Richmond County
State regulators are drafting two air quality permits for Amazon's proposed $10 billion Energy Way Tech Campus data center in Hamlet, Richmond County, North Carolina, with Duke Energy also planning new diesel generators on the property. The project involves 21 data center buildings supported by 1,600 megawatts of diesel generation, prompting concerns about air pollutant emissions in a potentially disadvantaged census tract. A public hearing has been scheduled in Rockingham for community input on the draft permits.
North Carolina state regulators are in the process of drafting two air quality permits for a significant data center project in Hamlet, Richmond County. The project, Amazon's $10 billion Energy Way Tech Campus, is slated to include 21 data center buildings and will be supported by 1,600 megawatts of diesel generation, a capacity comparable to large utility power plants.
Concerns have been raised regarding the environmental impact, as the facility is projected to emit between 100 and 250 tons of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds annually, along with high levels of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and benzene. Adding to the environmental footprint, Duke Energy plans to construct 57 new diesel generators on Amazon's property to operate for one year while Amazon builds its own backup power supply. The proposed site is located in a census tract identified by the state Department of Environmental Quality as potentially disadvantaged and