Beaufort County looks at regulating, possibly banning data centers as it calls for moratorium

Beaufort County is taking significant steps toward regulating or potentially banning data centers, with its County Council's Natural Resources committee unanimously voting to draft several ordinances. These include a nine-month moratorium on new data center applications, a complete ban, and an option for heavily regulated data center development. These proposed ordinances must now go before the full County Council for a vote.

The committee initiated this action after requesting staff to investigate the impacts of data centers, citing growing concerns among South Carolina residents over noise, water, and power consumption. County leaders, including Council Chair Alice Howard, highlighted issues in neighboring Colleton County, where a project faced strong public opposition and ultimately did not reapply for a special exception after a moratorium was passed followed by new zoning ordinances. The example of Colleton County's experience, where a developer's 1,000-megawatt data center project fell through due to public outcry, was frequently referenced during Beaufort County's discussions.

While there are currently no data center applications before Beaufort County's zoning board, officials believe it's only a matter of time before developers express interest. Planning and Zoning Department Director Rob Merchant noted the dynamic nature of the issue, with more communities becoming aware and taking action. Council members expressed differing views, with some like Joe Passiment advocating for proper controls rather than an outright ban, while Gerald Dawson favored attempting a ban first. A moratorium is seen as a crucial step to allow the county time to develop comprehensive ordinances and gather public input.