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A Dallas-based company has abandoned plans for a 400-acre data center in Marion County, South Carolina, citing “utility timing constraints.” The decision follows mounting public outcry over secrecy, water use and power costs tied to data center projects across the state.
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Here are key takeaways:
- Stream Data Centers pulled out of the Marion County project, saying it couldn’t meet timeline requirements. MPD Electric, the cooperative working with Stream, said the company couldn’t secure power “in a timely and cost-effective way.”
- The proposed 600,000-square-foot facility would have required an estimated 400 megawatts of power and promised tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the rural county between Myrtle Beach and Florence.
- Debra Buffkin of the Winyah Rivers Alliance said the deal was discussed behind closed doors, with County Council members signing non-disclosure agreements. “The way it was brought in, with the lack of transparency, was mind-boggling,” she said.
- Other South Carolina communities are pushing back, too. Spartanburg County saw a project pulled in February, while Newberry, Chesterfield and Colleton counties have enacted moratoriums on data center development.
- State lawmakers failed to pass data center regulations this year. Sen. Allen Blackmon, R-Lancaster, pushed for water usage reporting requirements, saying, “I have worked diligently, I have worked hard this session for one purpose and one purpose only.”
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by The State’s Sammy Fretwell. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
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