Durham County Pauses Hyperscale Data Centers

Southpoint Access Opens a New Door for Local Businesses

A new outreach form gives business owners a simple way to propose stories, request an Office Hours appearance, explore sponsorships, and share community events.

Southpoint AccessWes Platt

NO TIME TO READ? THEN LISTEN!

Data Center Moratorium Aug 25

0:00

/504.981333

1×

Emily Sutton, a North Durham farmer, has struggled to make it through the recent drought – and has done so, she said, thanks to county government funding a cistern that stores another 1,000 gallons of water.

The county’s Community Conservation Assistance Program covers up to 75% of the average installation cost. Sutton’s farm and others like it in rural Durham need even more protection from water- and energy-intensive data centers.

“I need water to grow food,” Sutton told the Durham County Board of Commissioners during Monday’s public hearing on a nine-month data center moratorium. “I don’t want to compete with data centers for land, and I don’t want the young farmers to either.”

Many residents speaking during the board meeting argued for a moratorium without any exceptions. However, ultimately commissioners voted 4-1 to pause accepting and processing applications for hyperscale data centers larger than 100,000 square feet.