The hidden costs of North Carolina’s data center boom

A surge of AI data centers in North Carolina is driving up power and water demand, increasing emissions and electricity costs for customers. Developers are proposing massive data center campuses, but regulators are struggling to track the cumulative impact on the state's electricity grid, water resources, and climate goals. Residents in New Hill are concerned about the environmental and infrastructure impacts of a proposed 200-acre data center campus, which could use up to 1 million gallons of water per day. Across the state, data centers are reshaping long-term energy planning, delaying coal plant retirements, and raising questions about who bears the costs.