Southport approves moratorium for data centers
The Southport Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a 15-month moratorium on data center permits within city limits. This proactive measure aims to allow the city's planning board to study data center impacts, including resource strain, noise, and odors, before new developments. The action follows concerns about resource drains and minimal economic benefits observed in other communities.
Southport, North Carolina, has enacted a 15-month moratorium on new data center developments within its city limits. The Southport Board of Aldermen unanimously approved the measure on Thursday, following a recommendation from the city's Planning Board. The moratorium aims to provide city officials with time to research and develop appropriate ordinances to manage the potential impacts of data centers, such as demands on water and electricity resources, noise, and odors.
Planning Board Chairman Larry Ashley highlighted that current city ordinances are insufficient to address data center specific issues. Although no applications for data centers have been filed in Southport, city leaders are taking a proactive stance, observing trends in other parts of the state and country where communities express concerns over resource drain and minimal economic benefits from these facilities. Alderman Lowe Davis clarified that the moratorium is a preparatory step, not an indication of future approvals. Ashley also urged the Board to engage with Brunswick County officials, as potential data center sites exist under county zoning near the Duke Energy Brunswick Nuclear Plant, where no moratorium is currently in place.