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Issue: Building new data centers around SC
Attention around data centers and the water and energy they require to operate has grown as they’ve received backlash from communities. Both leading candidates for South Carolina governor have weighed in on the issue during their campaigns.
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Jermaine Johnson, Democratic nominee for governor
State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Richland, earlier this year introduced a resolution in the General Assembly calling for a moratorium on data center construction until the Legislature passes an oversight and approval process. It did not move in the General Assembly.
“We have to know about the technology, we have to know about where they’re going and how they’re going to be doing it,” Johnson said during a debate on SC ETV in June. “I’m the one who coined the phrase BYOE. You’re going to come to South Carolina, bring your own energy. You cannot come here and use up our resources. You cannot come up here and drive up our energy costs.”
Alan Wilson, Republican nominee for governor
Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican from Lexington County, said in an April 21 debate that local communities should have the right to determine if they want data centers in their areas.
He added data center operators should be incentivized to lessen their environmental impact, and be encouraged to put unused electricity back on the grid to help lower utility rates.
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“I support President Trump’s position that data centers are a national security issue, they’re going somewhere, whether it’s China or other states, they are going somewhere, and like the road networks of 100 years ago, data centers are the infrastructure for the new innovative technologies of the future,” Wilson said in a May 26 debate.
What is the state of play for data centers in South Carolina
Smaller data centers have been built in South Carolina for more than a decade, but construction of larger facilities is what’s gaining attention and sometimes push back from local communities.
Data center construction has been needed as the use of artificial intelligence grows.
When a data center is proposed, nearby residents have been concerned about the amount of water and electricity the facilities would use and whether it could raise energy bills.
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