Data center debate addressed at State of Economic Development

Economic Development Director Ferdinand Rouse addressed potential data center development in Vance County, North Carolina, during the "State of Economic Development" event hosted by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. Rouse provided an overview of the "pros and cons" of attracting data centers, aiming to educate local residents about the industry's potential impacts. Rouse highlighted job creation and tax revenue as key benefits, citing a case study of an Amazon data center in Richmond County that projects 1,500 temporary and 500-700 permanent jobs, alongside a potential $10 billion investment. He noted that developers like Amazon are often willing to cover their own infrastructure costs and that public scrutiny encourages such generosity, reducing demands on municipalities for incentives. Conversely, Rouse discussed concerns regarding water and electricity usage. He noted that a typical data center could use around 2.5 million gallons of water per day, adding to the 4 million gallons currently used by Henderson and Vance County from the Kerr Lake Regional Water System, although the system is expanding its capacity. Regarding electricity, Rouse explained that new infrastructure costs by Duke Energy are spread across its entire system, meaning Vance County residents could experience rate increases even from data centers in other parts of the state, without the local tax benefits.