A significant development is underway in Rockingham, where Amazon plans to build a vast data center complex. This project, which has raised environmental concerns, is under scrutiny as it seeks approval for diesel generator usage.
The 650-acre project will house 21 data center facilities powered by close to 600 diesel generators.
To proceed with this development, Amazon, alongside Duke Energy, has filed for Title V permits from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. This regulatory program oversees the state’s significant polluters, including power plants and industrial manufacturers.
In the interim, Duke Energy plans to use 60 leased generators until Amazon’s permanent generators become operational.
Environmental groups, notably Clean Water for NC, are mobilizing against the project, urging local residents in Hamlet to join their efforts.
Local activist Shaun Ingram, who co-founded the Richmond County Coalition for Justice and Black Empowerment and resides near the proposed site, voiced his apprehensions about potential pollution impacts.
“It’s the simple fact that we knew that there are already pollutants in the water, in the air,” Ingram stated. “And knowing that Richmond County and its infrastructure couldn’t stand for another big pollutant industry to come in, regardless of whether it was Amazon or whatever industry.”
Ingram highlighted the county’s historical water issues, referencing the Charles Macon Lagoon and Drum Storage Superfund Site, designated by the EPA in 1983, where significant waste removal was necessary.
“This was kind of a shock to us that Amazon was being proposed to be built in Richmond County due to the issues that are already there,” he added.
An Amazon report notes that Richmond County ranks low in terms of health and well-being, with the CDC labeling the area as heavily impacted by pollution.
The public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Old Richmond County Courthouse, roughly 70 miles from Charlotte. Public comments will be accepted until July 31. Feedback can be sent via email to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov with the subject line “Amazon.25A and DukeRichmond.26C.”
