A New Enbridge Pipeline Spurs Opposition in Central North Carolina

Enbridge, a Canadian company, plans to construct a new 28-mile natural gas pipeline stretching from Siler City to Moncure in Chatham County, North Carolina. This project, which could begin construction in fall 2027, is part of a larger natural gas infrastructure expansion in the state, with Duke Energy asserting it is vital to meet the rising electricity demands, especially from a projected surge in data centers. The pipeline faces significant opposition, including from resident John Alderman, who received a certified letter regarding access to his land for surveying. Alderman, an ecologist, criticizes the project for its potential environmental impact on local waterways and its contradiction to his family's carbon-negative lifestyle. Chatham County Commissioner Amanda Robertson also pledges to fight the pipeline, recalling past battles against similar projects. Environmental groups and consumer advocates, including the Public Staff of the N.C. Utilities Commission, dispute the inflated energy demand projections. The pipeline's terminus is near Triangle Innovation Point (TIP) in Moncure, an area already undergoing significant development including a VinFast factory. A 750-megawatt data center is also proposed for TIP, but its development is currently stalled due to litigation with Chatham County over a moratorium enacted by commissioners in February. Critics like Emily Sutton, the Haw Riverkeeper, argue that if data center expansion is not controlled, more fossil fuel projects will continue to be proposed based on inflated energy projections.