Amazon data center in Richmond County, NC, faces pushback over diesel generators

Amazon is seeking to construct a new data center in Hamlet, Richmond County, North Carolina, a project valued at $10 billion and expected to create 500 jobs. The proposed facility, however, is facing significant opposition from local residents and activist groups, including the Richmond County Coalition for Justice and Black Empowerment, due to concerns about air quality.

The core of the controversy lies in Amazon's and Duke Energy's separate applications for air quality permits from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). These permits would allow the construction and operation of hundreds of diesel generators to power the data center, both temporarily during initial setup and as emergency backup. Residents, like Rev. G. Rebecca Warren of Wayman Chapel, argue that the town of Hamlet is already overburdened by air pollution from existing industrial facilities, such as an Enviva wood pellet factory, and that the data center's emissions could exacerbate health issues, including cancer and respiratory diseases.

At a recent public hearing in Rockingham, approximately 150 people expressed their concerns. Critics, including North Carolina State University associate professor Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, argue that splitting the permit applications conceals the full magnitude of potential pollution. Richmond-Bryant's analysis suggests that the combined 600-plus diesel generators could drastically increase hazardous air pollutants and volatile organic compounds from the site. Despite this, Duke Energy maintains that emissions will remain below strict permit requirements, and state officials, including Governor Josh Stein, have publicly supported the project, citing its economic benefits for the region. The DEQ is expected to make a decision on the permits within four to six weeks, with the possibility of requesting additional data from the companies.