South Carolina already has at least nine data centers, with four more planned.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The debate over South Carolina's growing energy needs has focused on data centers.
A data center is typically a large windowless building filled with computer servers. These will help run technologies such as artificial intelligence and his 5G video streaming.
“Everything that's in the cloud needs to be stored somewhere,” explains Ford Graham, a consultant at McGuireWoods, a law and public relations firm.
He has helped build several data centers in South Carolina.
“Data Center is currently exploring opportunities to build new facilities across the country,” Graham said. “South Carolina is obviously a part of that and there’s a lot of interest.”
South Carolina already has at least nine data centers, with four more planned. However, all high-tech technology requires more energy. According to the International Energy Agency, in 2022, 2,700 data centers across the United States consumed 4% of total US electricity. This figure is predicted to increase to 6% by 2026.
“These are power consumers, and they consume a lot of power,” said Paul Sagona, executive director of research and computing at the University of South Carolina.
“I think it's really important to plan these things effectively, and make sure you plan from the beginning and do it in the most efficient way possible,” Sagona said. .
Graham and Sagona agreed that data centers are not the only cause of South Carolina's energy crisis.
“We have one of the highest numbers of immigrants from other states,” Graham said. “Obviously, they've been very successful in terms of hiring industrial companies, and some of those industrial companies are constantly moving toward more automation. The power will obviously increase.”
Mr Graham said the centers would create about 30 to 50 good-paying jobs and would have minimal impact on roads and schools.
“These tend to be a lot of revenue for local communities and have a significant impact on property taxes, whether it’s urban or rural,” Graham said.
The South Carolina House of Representatives tried to block electricity rate reduction deals for these centers, but they failed to pass the Senate.