Raleigh City Council considers six-month pause on large data center approvals
The Raleigh City Council is considering a six-month moratorium on approvals for new data centers larger than 10,000 square feet. City officials want time to study potential impacts including electricity and water use, land consumption, noise, light pollution and other environmental effects before voting after a public hearing.
Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell asked city staff to draft a six-month moratorium on approvals for new data centers with footprints exceeding 10,000 square feet. The proposed pause would give the city time to evaluate whether its development rules adequately address the impacts of rapidly expanding data center construction, including electricity and water consumption, land requirements, noise, light pollution and other environmental concerns.
The Raleigh City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and could approve, amend or reject the proposal. Duke Energy spokesperson Lee Freedman said the utility is working with city officials to balance data center growth with grid reliability and customer costs, while AI consultant Dustin Winkler said he supports a temporary pause despite relying on data centers professionally. The city says eight data centers operate within Raleigh, but none is a hyperscale facility.