South Carolina Data Center Intel

Recent South Carolina data center news

• May 1, 2026

  Data Centers and Communities: Why the Conversation Demands More Nuance

  The Maine House advanced LD 307, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs, imposing a moratorium on AI data centers with loads of 20 MW or greater until Nov. 1, 2027, and creating the Maine Data Center Coordination Council.

  • Main action:LD 307 advanced by the Maine House (82–62) would enact a moratorium on AI data centers ≥20 MW until Nov. 1, 2027, and establish the Maine Data Center Coordination Council to evaluate impacts on ratepayers, grid reliability, natural resources, and local communities, with a final report due to the legislature by February 2027. The article notes no large-scale AI data centers currently operating in Maine, but projects have been announced in Sanford and Jay.
  • Background and related details: The piece cites industry examples and commitments: Meta’s $10 billion data center on 2,250 acres in Richland Parish, LA, with Entergy adding new generation and Meta committing to match usage with at least 1,500 MW of new renewables, a $1 million per year pledge to low-income ratepayer support (matched by Entergy Louisiana), and more than $200 million in local infrastructure improvements. The article also documents utility responses (e.g., AEP take-or-pay contracts), interconnection and transformer bottlenecks, permitting delays, and recommends early, transparent community engagement and clear communications from developers.
• Apr 27, 2026

  Environmentalist heavy hitters take on SC gas plant, pipeline, data centers

  Savannah Riverkeeper and the Sierra Club have joined local opposition to three proposed projects in the South Carolina Lowcountry: a proposed natural gas power plant (Canadys), a 70-plus mile underground gas pipeline through Hampton and Colleton counties, and an 800+ acre data center in rural Colleton County.

  • Main announcement & actions: The Sierra Club and Savannah Riverkeeper have stepped into local opposition; Savannah Riverkeeper hosted a community meeting in March (hosted by Executive Director Tonya Bonitatibus) and began a series of virtual meetings in April to advise landowners on speaking at public hearings and contacting state/federal agencies. The Public Service Commission (PSC) held public hearings on the Canadys gas project on March 23 and April 7; the Sierra Club issued a public release on April 8 linking the plant to expected AI data centers and urging utilities to pair any approval with commitments to retire the Wateree, Williams, and Winyah coal plants.
  • Project details & background: The contested projects include a proposed natural gas power plant in the Canadys area of Colleton County, a 70-plus mile underground pipeline through Hampton and Colleton counties, and a proposed 800-plus acre data center in rural Colleton County. Local opposition has involved groups such as the Southern Environmental Law Center; Savannah Riverkeeper provided an ArcGIS map of the proposed pipeline route (ArcGIS link referenced).
• Apr 9, 2026

  Savannah leaders push back on data centers amid environmental and cost concerns

  Savannah city leaders and residents held a town hall opposing data centers in the city.

  • Main announcement/action:Mayor Van Johnson and several city leaders publicly opposed locating data centers in Savannah during a town hall at the Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center, with the mayor stating “We ain’t doing data centers.” City leaders and residents attended to discuss the likelihood of a data center coming to the Hostess City.
  • Background and details:Port Wentworth approved an amendment allowing data centers in 2025; the article cites the Environmental and Energy Study Institute saying a single data center can use as much water as Bryan County, and a Congress.gov report warning U.S. data center electricity use could triple by 2028 to potentially account for 12% of all U.S. electricity use. Peter Hubbard (Georgia Public Service Commission) called for greater financial accountability from multi-billion dollar companies and said the Georgia General Assembly did not implement additional regulations before ending its session. The potential use of PFAS in cooling systems was also raised as a concern.
• Apr 4, 2026

  Maine Set to Become First State to Halt New AI Data Centers

  Maine lawmakers have passed a bill to pause new large-scale data center projects of 20 megawatts or more until November 2027.

  • Main action: The Maine House passed legislation to pause new data center projects ≥20 megawatts (roughly enough to power 15,000–20,000 homes) until November 2027; the bill is expected to advance in the Maine Senate where Democrats hold a majority and Gov. Janet Mills has signaled support with potential exemptions for projects already in progress.
  • Context and details: The proposal was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and aims to study impacts on electricity costs, the power grid, land and water; U.S. data centers used about 183 terawatt-hours in 2024 (>4% of U.S. power use) with that figure expected to more than double by 2030. The issue has federal attention — President Donald Trump has urged tech firms to cover more infrastructure/energy costs, and Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have proposed national legislation to temporarily pause data center construction. Similar moratoria proposals are under consideration in at least 10 other states including New York, South Carolina, and Oklahoma.
• Apr 2, 2026

  States Race to Win the Tech Economy in 2026 State of the State Addresses

  Broadband and technology were prioritized across nearly 30 governors’ 2026 State of the State addresses.

  • Main announcement: Governors across the country emphasized broadband expansion, AI policy and workforce development, and data center/energy planning; specific claims include Maine reporting “more than a quarter million homes and businesses” served, Wisconsin reporting 410,000 businesses and households with new or improved internet, Kansas connecting 117,000 households and businesses, and the Virgin Islands reporting a territory-wide internet program with over 50,000 users per month. The addresses also included concrete funding and contract figures: Maryland announced a $4 million AI workforce training investment, and South Dakota cited a $35 million Department of Defense contract for warhead production.
  • Background and other details: Governors described partnerships and policy actions: Maryland cited collaborations with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Microsoft, a South Korean biotech firm, and AstraZeneca for AI work; Iowa cited partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Google Public Sector to modernize state systems; several governors (Indiana, New York, Nebraska) debated who should shoulder data center energy costs or accelerate permitting; some states (New Hampshire, Delaware, South Carolina) signaled nuclear energy pathways and DOE engagement. Implementation timelines are those stated in addresses (2026) and referenced ongoing programs and contracts (e.g., South Dakota’s $35 million DoD contract already awarded).
• Mar 31, 2026

  Dell PowerVault: The Ultimate Game-Changer for SMB Workloads

  Dell Technologies promotes PowerVault as an SMB storage solution.

  • Main announcement: Dell presents PowerVault (PowerVault ME5) as a purpose-built storage platform for SMBs delivering predictable performance, built-in resilience, and simplified management; highlights include up to 8PB of raw capacity, all-flash and hybrid options, built-in snapshots, Veeam integration at no additional software cost, and Metro Node DR for high availability and rapid recovery.
  • Background and details: The blog positions PowerVault for common SMB workloads (virtualized servers, backups, surveillance, small databases, VDI, edge AI/ROBO); it emphasizes right-sized, scalable growth via expansion shelves and automation, an all-inclusive software model to remove hidden licensing costs, and practical management aimed at lean IT teams.
• Mar 10, 2026

  Environmental groups seek more details of plan to sell Chantilly land for data center

  Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has set a March 17 public hearing to consider selling the southern one-third (about 41.7 acres) of the 128-acre Stonecroft property at 3721 Stonecroft Blvd to Starwood Capital Group, which made an unsolicited $166.8 million offer.

  • Main announcement/details: The Board will consider a sale of 41.7 acres (the southernmost one-third of the 128-acre campus) to Starwood Capital Group (SGC Global Holdings LLC) for an unsolicited $166.8 million offer; county officials say proceeds will defray costs for a modern police training facility and that the sale would add the 41.7 acres to the county tax base with anticipated tax revenue in excess of $20 million in the first year after completion. The public hearing is scheduled for March 17.
  • Background and related facts: A coalition of environmental groups (Sierra Club Great Falls Group, Nature Forward, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Friends of Holmes Run) sent a March 4 letter requesting details on any agreements, terms, origin of the proposal, alternative uses, public-benefit considerations, health/air-quality impacts, carbon emissions, and backup power plans (battery vs diesel). A separate proposal to swap the Stonecroft parcel for Plaza 500 (6295 Edsall Road) was suggested by civic leaders but Fairfax Board Chairman Jeff McKay responded on March 2 calling the idea “creative” but not something that we can pursue; Plaza 500 is owned by SCG/related parties and is being targeted for a data center in Lincolnia.
• Mar 4, 2026

  Data Center Jobs: Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Sales, Field Service and Facility Tech Jobs Available in Major Data Center Hotspots

  Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Pkaza, has posted the latest roundup of data center career opportunities on the Data Center Frontier jobs board.

  • Main announcement: Data Center Frontier and Pkaza published 13 current data center job listings across the United States (examples include Electrical Applications Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Production Architect – Data Center Facilities Design, Director of Construction, and Data Center Facility Operations Director), with many roles offering remote options or multiple city locations (e.g., Pittsburgh, Dallas, New York, Ashburn, Columbus, Boulder, Chesterton, Augusta).
  • Background and details: Listings are provided by/for mission-critical and colo/hyperscale sectors and emphasize reliability, energy efficiency, sustainable design and LEED expertise; roles cover engineering design & commissioning firms, electrical contracting, general contracting and data center developers, and include positions supporting AI/HPC infrastructure and brownfield conversions.
• Mar 2, 2026

  How America’s Power Regions Chose Their Futures and How That Has Played Out

  Aaron Larson assesses nearly 30 years of U.S. electricity market choices and evaluates organized RTO/ISO markets versus bilateral, vertically integrated regions.

  • Main assessment: The article reviews the historical arc from FERC Order 888 (April 24, 1996) and Order 2000 (~1999) through the formation and evolution of major operators (PJM, CAISO, ISO‑NE, NYISO, MISO, SPP, ERCOT). Key facts include PJM’s estimate of $2.8–$3.1 billion/year in customer benefits, a 2023 Brattle Group study estimating $362 million/year savings for South Carolina by joining PJM (or $187 million/year for a Southeast RTO), and the launch dates/timelines: CAISO (1998 under Assembly Bill 1890), PJM ISO (1997) and RTO (2001), MISO formation (2001) and energy market start (2005), Entergy integration (2013), SPP Integrated Marketplace (2014), ERCOT restructuring (1999), SEEM launch (November 2022), and Winter Storm Uri (February 2021).
  • Background and additional details: The article documents regional design differences (PJM evolutionary expansion; CAISO’s 2000–2001 crisis; ERCOT’s energy‑only market), highlights renewables integration and data center demand as drivers toward organized markets, and notes SEEM cleared 0.1% of regional annual demand in its first full year. The piece is an analytical assessment rather than a new policy announcement.
• Feb 25, 2026

  What the Tech: What AI means for your wallet and environment

  WRDW/WAGT reports on environmental impacts of AI data centers.

  • Main findings: The article cites a 2023 study that U.S. data centers use roughly 4 percent of all electricity generated, a figure that is expected to more than double as new facilities come online; some AI-focused data centers under construction could use as much electricity as 2 million homes. It also notes there are currently ~4,000 data centers in the U.S., with major expansions underway in Virginia, Georgia, Arizona, and Ohio, and that some new facilities are requesting as much power as small cities.
  • Water and usage details: A Department of Energy study found some centers use “millions of gallons every day”, equivalent to the water needs of a town of 50,000 people; a UC Riverside study found each AI chatbot session uses roughly “a half-liter of fresh water” to cool servers. The article gives an example that 3 million simple chatbot messages like “thank you” could consume around 1,500 kilowatt hours, and references President Trump’s “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” encouraging large tech companies to cover their own energy costs.