Beaufort County moves toward temporary data center moratorium
Beaufort County's Natural Resources Committee has unanimously voted to draft a nine-month temporary moratorium on new data centers in unincorporated areas. The decision was driven by concerns over the significant electricity and water usage, noise, and infrastructure demands of data centers. County staff will also prepare a separate ordinance to consider strict regulations or a complete ban on these facilities.
Beaufort County, South Carolina, is moving to implement a temporary nine-month moratorium on new data center developments within its unincorporated areas. The Natural Resources Committee unanimously directed staff to draft the measure on Tuesday, citing significant concerns regarding the substantial resource demands of data centers.
Planning Director Rob Merchant explained that the moratorium would temporarily halt the acceptance and processing of data center applications, providing county officials with crucial time to study and potentially enact new regulations. Key issues raised during the meeting included the high consumption of electricity and water, noise pollution, the use of backup generators, stormwater management, and overall infrastructure strain, as well as potential impacts on residential neighborhoods.
Councilman York Glover McClellan emphasized the dual nature of data centers, acknowledging their importance to the digital economy while highlighting their considerable local resource requirements. In parallel with the proposed moratorium, county staff are also tasked with developing a separate ordinance. This ordinance would empower the County Council to consider either stringent regulatory frameworks for data centers or an outright ban on their development.
The committee is pursuing an expedited timeline, with proposals potentially reaching the Planning Commission by October 5 and the full County Council later in October. It is important to note that Tuesday's vote only authorized staff to draft these measures, and neither the moratorium nor any new regulations are currently in effect.