By state
Data centers in North Carolina
16 data centers and projects on our map in North Carolina, including 6 projects we track in detail. Each one links to its source. Below: where they are by county, the projects in the news, and the latest reporting from both sides.
Latest news from North Carolina
Supports the case against local October 13, 2026
The Elizabeth City, North Carolina council voted unanimously for an 18 month pause on data center applications while the city attorney reviews the length and city staff study rules. No data center project is currently proposed in the city, and officials said they wanted to act proactively. The council took public comment from residents concerned about water supply, electrical grid impact and noise.
Check it: The 18 month length is tentative and may be shortened pending the city attorney review.
Cited by both sides local October 12, 2026
Charlotte, North Carolina council held a packed public hearing on a proposal to extend the city's data center moratorium through October 2027, with residents urging an extension and building trade union members urging it be lifted to protect construction work. The current pause expires November 5. The council is set to vote on the extension October 26.
Check it: This was a public hearing, not a vote, and the council has not yet decided whether to extend the pause.
Cited by both sides local October 12, 2026
At an October 12 hearing, Charlotte residents urged the council to extend the current moratorium through October 2027, while labor union speakers asked the council to let it expire November 5 so union construction work can proceed. The council is expected to vote on the extension on October 26.
Check it: The current pause expires November 5; the October 26 vote decides whether it is extended, so the headline reflects public comments, not a final decision.
Supports the case against local October 7, 2026
Raleigh's council voted 7 to 1 to pause approvals of new large data centers for six months. The pause applies to proposed sites over 10,000 square feet or 5 megawatts and gives staff time to draft permanent rules, with a council vote on new regulations scheduled for April 6, 2027. Some residents pushed for a longer pause of up to 32 months.
Check it: A moratorium pauses applications but does not block projects already in review.
Cited by both sides policy October 7, 2026
Duke Energy and parties including the Public Staff, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, large industrial customers and the US Defense Department filed a proposed large load tariff with the North Carolina Utilities Commission. The rate would apply to customers using at least 50 megawatts at least 80 percent of the time. The Southern Environmental Law Center said the deal falls short on cost protections.
Check it: The settlement still needs North Carolina Utilities Commission approval and may change in final form.
Supports the case for local October 7, 2026
Salisbury City Council unanimously approved a conditional district rezoning on October 6, allowing Trammell Crow and Flexential to build a 296,000 square foot data center on Henderson Grove Church Road. Requested power is 55 megawatts, under the district's 60 megawatt cap. The conditions include closed loop cooling, noise and setback limits.
Check it: Closed loop cooling needs an initial fill of water; the actual draw depends on make up losses and backup systems.
Supports the case against local October 7, 2026
The Raleigh City Council voted 7 to 1 to pause applications for data centers that exceed 10,000 square feet and 5 megawatts of electricity. The moratorium runs through April 6, 2027 while staff draft permanent rules. Several speakers at the public hearing asked for a 32 month pause instead.
Check it: The pause covers new applications only. Confirm whether any Raleigh projects already filed before October 7 are grandfathered in.
Supports the case for local October 6, 2026
The Lee County Board of Commissioners voted down a proposed 180 day moratorium on new data center applications that would not have blocked the already approved Lower Moncure Road project. Nearly 2,500 residents had signed a petition supporting a pause over power, water, noise and transparency concerns. The majority said additional projects should proceed under current rules.
Check it: The moratorium would not have changed the Lower Moncure Road project either way; it would have blocked only future applications, so this vote mostly settles the forward look, not the current controversy.
Supports the case against local October 5, 2026
Beaufort County commissioners voted 6-1 to bar the county from accepting, processing or approving any data center applications for one year. The county has no proposed data center; residents asked for the pause so officials can draft rules before a project arrives.
Check it: The moratorium was pre-emptive, not aimed at a specific project, so its practical effect is uncertain until one is proposed.
Supports the case for local October 1, 2026
Forsyth County commissioners voted 5 to 2 on October 1 to reject a proposed temporary pause on new data center development. The county attorney warned the board that a Chatham County developer had successfully challenged a similar pause and said the county should set aside contingency funds for litigation if it chose to proceed. Commissioners Dan Besse, who drafted the proposal, and Tonya McDaniel voted yes.
Check it: The vote was procedural about legal exposure, not an endorsement of any specific project, and the county is still studying its regulatory options.
Supports the case against local October 1, 2026
The Charlotte City Council scheduled a public hearing for October 12 on whether to extend its citywide data center moratorium for 11 months, which would push the pause through October 11, 2027. The current 150 day moratorium approved in June expires November 5. A 19 member community task force recommended the extension after reviewing water, energy, planning and zoning concerns.
Check it: The extension still needs a council vote on or after October 12, and the moratorium applies to new standalone projects, not existing facilities.
Supports the case for local October 1, 2026
Lee County on October 1 issued a public statement affirming that the data center proposed on Lower Moncure Road will proceed, after the county planning department issued a planning permit on September 29. The county released a timeline running from a closed session briefing in February through the April public hearing and the September permit, and denied allegations that commissioners received improper incentives.
Check it: The county has not named the operator, size or power demand of the project publicly, and the statement does not identify who built the project or what agreements commissioners reviewed.
Cited by both sides local September 29, 2026
After previously deadlocking 3 to 3 on a moratorium, the Davidson County Board of Commissioners voted 4 to 2 to place a four month moratorium on hyperscale data centers back on the October 26 agenda. Chair Karen Watford opposed, saying a pause would send a bad signal to business. Commissioner Tripp Kester said residents and the board need more time to study the issue.
Check it: The agenda vote only reopens the question; the four month moratorium itself still needs a majority on October 26.
Supports the case against local September 15, 2026
County planning staff presented a draft ordinance requiring 500 foot setbacks, 15 foot landscape buffers, 60 decibel noise caps at the property line and a ban on nuclear power for on-site generation. The Joint Planning Board will take up the draft again October 20 before commissioners consider it in November or December, and staff told the board most public input has opposed data centers in the county.
Check it: Compare the 60 decibel property line cap to actual measured levels from other data center campuses to judge whether it forces cooling design changes.
Supports the case against policy September 14, 2026
Attorney General Jeff Jackson filed a request in Duke Energy's pending rate case asking the North Carolina Utilities Commission to create a distinct rate class so data center customers pay directly for the transmission and generation built to serve them. Jackson says residential customers should not subsidize the buildout, while Duke has said any new tariff must still recover costs and support growth.
Check it: Confirm the commission's docket number and follow whether it opens a separate proceeding on the request.