South Carolina Data Center News

Jan 6, 2026

From environment issues to Supreme Court murder appeals; stories to follow in 2026

Bluffton Today outlines continuing 2026 storylines focused on the South Carolina Lowcountry: a scheduled South Carolina Supreme Court hearing for Alex Murdaugh’s murder-conviction appeal and multiple major energy, environmental, and local-government issues including a proposed $2.5 billion gas plant and companion interstate pipeline.

Main announcement/action: The article reports the S.C. Supreme Court will hear Alex Murdaugh’s murder-conviction appeal on Feb. 11, 2026; energy partners Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper are authorized to build a $2.5 billion, 2,000-MW natural gas plant at Canadys and contracted Elba Express Company (Kinder Morgan) for the $431 million, 71-mile Bridge Project pipeline (30-inch steel), with a FERC application targeted in early 2027 and construction anticipated in early 2029 and operation by mid-2030.
Background and other details: The piece documents local opposition and environmental concern (CVSC, Charleston Climate Coalition, petitions), a proposed 859-acre data center campus in Colleton County under review by the Colleton County Zoning Board of Appeals, ongoing remediation efforts at the 50+-acre Nevamar industrial site (TCE plume, asbestos, deed restrictions), and a 50-page forensic audit of Hampton County finances detailing loans and missing transactions (e.g., $9 million loans from CPST, $14,024,498.35 in unrecorded disbursements).

Jan 2, 2026

Transformers in 2026: Shortage, Scramble, or Self-Inflicted Crisis?

Wood Mackenzie and POWER report that U.S. transformer supply remains structurally out of balance, with multi-year deficits in large power and generator step-up units even as manufacturers commit major North American investments.

Main findings and actions:Wood Mackenzie estimates a 30% shortfall for power transformers and 10% for distribution units in 2025, with demand increases since 2019 of 119% for power transformers and 274% for GSUs; lead times average 128 weeks for power transformers and 144 weeks for GSUs. Despite nearly $1.8 billion–$2.0 billion in announced North American manufacturing investments since 2023, major corporate commitments include Hitachi Energy (over $1 billion continental, CA$270 million Varennes expansion, $457 million South Boston, VA project due by 2028, $106 million Alamo, TN expansion), Siemens Energy ($150 million Charlotte plant, production targeted early 2027), Eaton ($340 million South Carolina facility targeting 2027), Prolec GE (more than $300 million), Virginia Transformer Corp. ($40 million), ERMCO (>$70 million), and Central Moloney ($50 million). Unit prices have also climbed: power transformers +77%, GSUs +45%, some distribution up to 95%.
Background, policy, and procurement details: Federal trade measures (copper tariffs up to 50%, expanded Section 232 steel/aluminum duties) and the budget package nicknamed “One Big Beautiful Bill” (phasing down some renewables credits and tightening FEOC rules) have raised input costs and domestic‑content constraints; federal/state incentives and site support are driving reshoring to Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and elsewhere. Counterpoints include broker Patrick Tarver of Bolt Electrical LLC, who argues “There is not a shortage” and attributes delays to utility/EPC procurement practices (qualification lists, vendor rules) rather than factory capacity; Tarver says he can deliver standard substation transformers in 12 to 14 months and typically charges 12%–15% over factory cost.

Dec 18, 2025

Proposed data center in Colleton County faces environmental pushback

Plans for a massive new data center campus in Colleton County are facing growing opposition.

Main announcement: Plans for a proposed data center campus of roughly 859 acres (also described in reporting as an 850-acre property by the Southern Environmental Law Center) south of Walterboro, inside the ACE Basin watershed, are drawing opposition from environmental groups including the Southern Environmental Law Center over energy use, water usage, and land use priorities. The article cites the U.S. Department of Energy statistic that U.S. data centers consumed about 4% of U.S. electricity in 2023, potentially rising to 12% by 2028.
Background and next steps: Environmental advocates warn of strain on local infrastructure due to the campus’ projected high electricity and water demand; News 4 attempted to contact members of the Colleton County Council but received no pre-deadline response. A public meeting is scheduled for community input:
- When: Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
- Where: Colleton County Civic Center
- Agenda/subject: Public comment on the proposed Colleton County data center project and environmental concerns.

Dec 17, 2025

Dell and Equinix Partner To Deliver Cloud-Connected Data Center

Dell Technologies has announced the Dell Cloud-Connected Storage in Equinix solution, combining Dell PowerStore and PowerFlex with Equinix Cloud-Connected Data Centers to deliver cloud-adjacent hybrid infrastructure.

Architecture & capabilities: The solution deploys Dell PowerStore and PowerFlex inside or adjacent to Equinix facilities, offering cloud-adjacent storage and compute with low-latency private links to AWS and Azure, support for business continuity, managed services, data sovereignty, copy data management, high-speed storage for compute-heavy workloads, edge computing, and hybrid backup/archiving, across 250+ Equinix data centers in 70+ markets.
Positioning & operations: PowerStore provides all-flash NVMe storage with 5:1 data reduction guarantees, while PowerFlex delivers software-defined compute and storage, together forming a path to Dell Private Cloud with unified management, lifecycle operations, and optional on-prem deployment; colocation is framed as a critical foundation for global high-performance computing driven by AI workloads, based on IDC analysis.

Dec 16, 2025

Virginia regulators weigh expanded use of data centers’ polluting generators

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued guidance expanding the definition of an “emergency” to potentially allow data centers to run Tier II diesel backup generators during certain planned utility outages.

Main action: DEQ’s Sept. 30 memo from Mike Dowd to Director Michael Rolband would treat some planned outages (notice provided within 14 days or less) as “sudden and reasonably unforeseeable” events, allowing use of Tier II diesel generators that are currently limited to emergencies; the guidance is under public review with environmental groups requesting a 30-day extension to comment and the change would still be under review when Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger takes office in January.
Background & details: The article cites about 9,000 generators in Virginia (≈8,000 Tier II, about 4,700 in Loudoun County); a legislative report estimated a worst-case 9,000 tons of nitrogen oxides from backup generators in the region. Drivers include over 100 planned transmission upgrades and federal initiatives (DOE’s Speed to Power Initiative cites 17.6 GW of planned data center capacity across five Virginia counties). DEQ said interested parties requested the guidance and that sources must still meet permitted emission limits.

Dec 16, 2025

Renewable energy is key to powering Texas data centers

Google announced it plans to construct three new data centers in Texas at a cost of $40 billion.

Main announcement & implementation details: Google will build three new data centers in Texas at an estimated $40 billion and has committed a $30 million Energy Impact Fund to scale energy initiatives; the company reports more than 6,200 megawatts of new generation and capacity contracted via power purchase agreements. The OpenAI/Oracle Stargate campus near Abilene has its first two buildings operational and the remaining six buildings are expected to be completed by mid-2026.
Context, background and project metrics: Texas currently has 375 data centers operating and 70 under construction (Baxtel); ERCOT saw large-load interconnection requests rise from 56 GW (Sept 2024) to 205 GW one year later. Renewables growth includes nearly 877–900 solar projects under development in Texas, >200% increase in ERCOT solar capacity over four years, and 8 TWh of wind/solar curtailed in 2024 due to transmission limits. The SEIA warns federal permitting changes are slowing some solar and storage projects.

Dec 11, 2025

Think Like a Mountaineer: Lessons in Speed, Safety and Scaling with Crusoe

Crusoe has announced rapid expansion as a sustainable AI infrastructure provider, including building a 1.2 GW data center campus for OpenAI and Oracle and deploying a large microgrid using solar and second-life EV batteries.

Crusoe has raised over $1 billion, is building a 1.2 GW Abilene data center campus for OpenAI and Oracle, delivered its first 200 MW building in 11 months, and unveiled North America’s largest microgrid powered by large-scale solar and second-life EV batteries as part of its vertically integrated, sustainable AI infrastructure strategy.
CEO Chase Lochmiller applies a “mountaineer mindset”—deep preparation, moving light and fast but safely, strong safety culture, and curiosity-driven design—which underpins Crusoe’s shift from flared-gas bitcoin mining to GW-scale AI data centers, supported by institutional partners like Brookfield and Blue Owl and highlighted across MCJ’s podcasts, videos, and community content.

Dec 9, 2025

New Model Ordinance Development Continues with Utility Scale Solar Stakeholder Engagement Session

The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) has held its first stakeholder engagement session to develop solar and storage model ordinances for large-scale renewable energy siting in the Carolinas under the Carolinas DASH initiative.

Session #1 on November 18, 2025 focused on utility-scale solar ordinance categories (technology definition, setbacks, fencing, screening/buffering, height/visual/noise restrictions, planning/applications, and community engagement), with expert context from Professor Adam Lovelady on zoning, land-use regulation, and permitting pathways such as special use permits and conditional zoning.
Stakeholders from renewable developers, advocacy groups, local and state government, and agriculture discussed detailed design choices such as acreage vs MW-based definitions, setback purposes and waivers, buffer opacity and maintenance, agrivoltaics-compatible height limits, treatment of interconnection/transformers, and preferences for by-right zoning vs special/conditional use permits; NCCETC will hold future sessions on storage, land use, appendices, and draft ordinance feedback, and invites written input via DSIRE-Admin@ncsu.edu and resources on the Carolinas DASH website.

Dec 2, 2025

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, posted a monthly roundup of active data center job openings on the Pkaza jobs board.

Main announcement: Data Center Frontier and Pkaza published a list of open roles (examples: Data Center Facility Technician, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Construction Project Manager, Electrical Engineer, Critical Power Sales Associate, Sr Mechanical Engineer, Site Selection Manager/Director/VP, Electrical Project Manager, MEP Superintendent, Mechanical Commissioning Engineer, Engineering Design Director, Navy Nuke Facility Technician) posted on Pkaza’s jobs board; positions are available across many US cities including Ashburn, VA; Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; Montvale, NJ; Austin, TX; Charlotte, NC; New Albany, OH; Phoenix, AZ.
Background and details: Roles are for mission-critical data center employers (developers, colo providers, contractors, commissioning firms) and frequently emphasize reliability, energy efficiency, sustainable design / LEED expertise and commissioning; some listings explicitly accept Navy Nuke / military veterans and many positions list multiple alternative locations or hybrid/remote options. Author: Kathy Hitchens (Data Center Frontier).

Dec 2, 2025 · RMI

The Five Types of Electro-Industrial States

Rocky Mountain Institute presents a typology classifying US states into five electro-industrial archetypes.

Main announcement/action: RMI authors classify states into five archetypes — Momentum Hubs (Arizona, California), Fast‑Track Builders (Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, Idaho), Policy Champions (New York, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania), Open‑Door Starters (Vermont, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Iowa), and Early‑Stage Starters (Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Maine, Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas). The typology is based on policy reliability, regulatory ease, economic capacity, physical infrastructure (power and interconnection), and market momentum.
Background and details: The analysis highlights that market momentum and policy reliability should operate in tandem; low regulatory burdens accelerate short-term investment but may strain local housing and infrastructure without accompanying policy ambition. The authors reference the report GREASE Lightning as a policy playbook for designing investment-led, state-driven electro-industrial strategies.

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