Advisory group urges caution; several members favor banning hyperscale data centers

The Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners received the final report of a Data Center Advisory Group on June 22, which the advisory members said resulted from four in‑person meetings, an information library of technical materials, and a prioritized set of community recommendations. The group’s top‑ranked recommendation — as reflected in the advisory summary presented by county staff — was to ban hyperscale data centers in the county; members clarified that many meant hyperscale centers (commonly cited in the meetings as facilities of roughly 100 megawatts or more), not every type of data center.

County staff described the group’s process: participants developed shared language and definitions (the group used 100 MW as a working threshold for “hyperscale”), collected questions and relevant reports, and produced a recommendation list that members scored with a weighted dot‑voting system. The advisory group’s report and an information library are included in the county’s agenda packet and will be posted to the county website.

Advisory members and local advocates who spoke during the meeting cited several reasons for their recommendation: concern about water use in a region experiencing severe drought, limited public transparency about wastewater and contaminants from data‑center cooling processes, potential for increased electricity demand or on‑site generation, the rapid pace of technological change and decommissioning costs, and uncertainty about state regulatory capacity. Katie Zimmerman of Sound Rivers said state frameworks are incomplete and that Senate discussions (referred to in discussion of S 730) are not yet comprehensive; members called for stronger reporting, decommissioning bonds, and stricter permitting conditions if centers are allowed.

Several advisory group members emphasized that not all data centers are alike and that smaller facilities and local economic projects may be treated differently. The county manager praised the advisory process and recommended either closing the door entirely on hyperscale facilities or — if the board permits them — tightening the county’s UDO and permit conditions to address water, waste, decommissioning and power generation concerns.

What the board decided: the advisory group’s report was accepted and entered into the record; no immediate ban or ordinance change was adopted at the June 22 meeting. Commissioners and staff said they will use the report and agreement of the advisory group to inform future policy work and potential UDO amendments or permitting requirements.

Sources: Data Center Advisory Group report and summary presented to the board; comments from advisory members Janice Bulock, David Bats, Katie Zimmerman, Jim Ren and Kevin Wilson during the June 22 meeting.