Power-heavy, 860-acre data center campus proposed north of Beaufort
Developers are looking to build an 859-acre data center campus near Walterboro, about 45 minutes north of downtown Beaufort, according to a public notice from Colleton County.
The proposed site would be the closest data center to Beaufort County to date. The large facilities, filled with rows of computer servers, data storage devices and networking equipment, are known for consuming high amounts of energy, leading to increases in power bills in surrounding areas more than an hour away.
At the same time, data centers form the backbone of digital services. Every time you send an email, stream a show, save a photo to the cloud, or ask a question to a chatbot, you’re relying on a data center.
Before any proposal moves forward, developers Thomas & Hutton and EagleRock must get a special approval from the county’s elected officials to allow construction on rurally-zoned land. The same developers withdrew an application for a Georgia data center this fall after significant public opposition.
A public hearing is set for Dec. 18, according to a public notice published on Dec. 4 in the Walterboro newspaper The Press & Standard.
What are data centers?
Data centers have been around for decades, but they’ve been expanding in recent years to support the use of generative AI models.
According to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, there is no federal registration requirement for data centers, so their estimated number varies. The Data Center Map estimates that the U.S. has more than 4,200 data centers, including 31 in South Carolina.
Data centers require a tremendous amount of energy to run and water to stay cool, prompting strong opposition from some communities. The centers need electricity to keep the systems running water to keep servers and equipment from overheating.
In areas where data centers are popping up in droves, energy bills are rising for surrounding communities more than an hour’s drive away.
The Walterboro data center proposal
Just south of Walterboro, developers Thomas & Hutton and EagleRock are seeking a county-approved special exception to allow a data center campus on the property. While the land is zoned for rural development, data centers are permitted under that zoning if granted an exception, according to the public notice issued by the county.
The property on Cooks Hill Road is owned by Weyerhaeuser Company, a major American timberland owner and forest products company. Property records indicate the land is currently vacant.
In recent months, the same developers withdrew their application for another proposed data center in Jones County, Georgia after facing significant pushback from local residents.
In October, Colleton County Council officials amended their land management ordinance to allow data centers to be built in specific zoning districts as a special exception, according to the council packet.
A public hearing for the special exception request will be held on Dec. 18 on the 3rd floor of the Colleton County’s Council at 109 Benson Street.
The Island Packet requested more information about the data center proposal from Colleton County’s zoning board and their chairman. They did not immediately respond to the request.
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 12:07 PM.
