COLUMBIA, S.C. — How South Carolina handles the wave of proposed data centers is shaping up as one of the biggest fights waiting for the General Assembly when it returns in January 2027, with senators from both parties already sketching out rules on water, power and public disclosure.
Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican, is writing a bill that would set new conditions for future projects. His draft would require closed-loop cooling that reuses water instead of drawing fresh supplies, push developers to produce their own electricity and limit the places where the facilities could go.
Davis has said counties and cities would keep the main say over approvals, with statewide standards meant to give local officials a clearer framework for weighing each proposal.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Russell Ott of Calhoun County has pointed to openness as the top worry he hears from residents. One idea he has raised is making developers report expected power and water use before a project can win approval.
A full statewide pause is not expected to gain traction. Several counties have already acted on their own, and York County currently has a moratorium on new data centers in place.
Backers point to the billions of dollars the projects can bring and the boost to the state in artificial intelligence and technology. Opponents counter that neighbors often learn too little, too late, about the strain on the grid, water supplies and roads.
The issue has also reached the race for governor. With Gov. Henry McMaster term-limited, Republican Alan Wilson and Democrat Jermaine Johnson are competing to succeed him, and both have been pressed on how they would handle data center opposition in their communities.
Early voting runs through Saturday, Oct. 31, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The winner will be in office when lawmakers take up the data center bills next year.
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