Mount Pleasant considers moratorium on data centers

Mount Pleasant, S.C. leaders are moving to establish regulations for future data center development, prompting consideration of a 120-day moratorium. The town council's Planning Committee has voted to recommend the moratorium, which will now go before the full council for a vote. This action follows significant public pushback, particularly on social media, regarding the potential impacts of large-scale data centers.

Mayor Will Haynie addressed these concerns during a committee meeting, stating that "hyper-scale data centers" are not expected in Mount Pleasant and distinguishing them from smaller, local business data facilities. Residents like Penny Altmann expressed a desire for a complete ban, citing worries about energy and water consumption, noise pollution, and broader environmental effects. Mayor Haynie explained that the proposed moratorium aims to allow staff time to refine future regulations, noting that there is no immediate demand for large data centers east of the Cooper River and emphasizing the scarcity of natural resources like groundwater. Allan Clum, General Manager for Mount Pleasant Waterworks, affirmed that the area would likely not meet the requirements for groundwater permits for customers drawing substantial water volumes.

The committee also discussed the concept of microgrids, which Chris Martin, operational technology department head for Mount Pleasant Waterworks, described as localized, self-power-generating systems independent of the larger grid. This technology is being explored through a pilot program to enhance community resilience against power outages.