Residents in Chatham County organizing against planned pipeline
Residents in Chatham County, North Carolina, are actively opposing a proposed natural gas pipeline by Enbridge Gas, fearing it will power a planned 750 MW data center called Eco TIP West. The data center developer is currently suing Chatham County over a moratorium imposed on data centers. Environmental and land concerns are central to the community's opposition, which was strongly expressed at a recent public hearing.
Residents of Chatham County, North Carolina, are organizing against a proposed 28-mile natural gas pipeline by Enbridge Gas North Carolina, fearing it will fuel a planned 750-megawatt data center called Eco TIP West. Stephanie Davis, a local landowner, is leading efforts with over 100 residents, expressing concerns about the project's impact on land, water, and wildlife in Chatham and Lee counties. Enbridge spokesperson Persida Montanez asserts the "Chatham County System Expansion Project" is intended to address service gaps for residential and commercial customers and denies the pipeline's purpose is to power the data center.
WUNC News independently verified that the pipeline's proposed route terminates adjacent to the Eco TIP West data center site. The developer of Eco TIP West is engaged in a lawsuit against Chatham County over a data center moratorium enacted in February, with court documents from the developer stating, "Enbridge North Carolina provides natural gas to TIP West." Enbridge, however, maintains that no specific service request has been made by the data center and argues the 12-inch diameter pipeline is too small to power such a facility, a claim energy experts suggest could be subject to changes in operating pressure or future capacity expansions.
During a public hearing, 50 Chatham County residents unanimously voiced opposition to the project, citing a range of concerns from environmental degradation and water quality issues to property devaluation and threats to local wildlife. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners acknowledged their limited authority over the pipeline's approval, which falls under the purview of the North Carolina Utilities Commission and requires permits from the state Department of Environmental Quality and the Army Corps of Engineers. Community organizers, including Aidan Loretz of Haw River Assembly, plan to continue their advocacy efforts, despite the project's progression towards regulatory filings and anticipated construction next fall.