As of August 15, 2026, this tracker documents 14 local government actions on data centers in South Carolina, across 12 jurisdictions in 9 counties: 13 moratoria and 1 zoning exclusion. By status: 7 in force, 5 pending, and 2 enacted.
At the state level, the state has a ratepayer-protection law (enacted, May 12, 2025).
Data centers in South Carolina used about 1.8 TWh of electricity in 2024; EPRI, Powering Intelligence 2026 (state-level dashboard) projects 9.1 TWh in its 2030, EPRI medium scenario.
Statewide actions in South Carolina
- South Carolina: ratepayer-protection law, enacted, May 12, 2025Authorizes (does not require) utilities to negotiate economic-development rates for large loads, with a marginal-cost floor and PSC just-and-reasonable review. The Senate's data-center PPA mandate was stripped before passage. Instrument: H.3309, Energy Security Act (Act No. 41 of 2025). Source: South Carolina Legislature, H.3309 (Act No. 41 of 2025).
Local actions in South Carolina
| Jurisdiction | County | Action | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg County | Orangeburg County | Moratorium | pending | July 23, 2026 |
| Greenwood County | Greenwood County | Moratorium | in force | July 21, 2026 |
| Chester County | Chester County | Moratorium | in force | July 20, 2026 |
| Spartanburg County Council | Spartanburg County | Moratorium | pending | July 20, 2026 |
| York County | York County | Moratorium | in force | July 13, 2026 |
| Colleton County Council | Colleton County | Moratorium | in force | July 7, 2026 |
| Greenwood County | Greenwood County | Moratorium | enacted | July 7, 2026 |
| Colleton County | Colleton County | Moratorium | in force | July 6, 2026 |
| Spartanburg County | Spartanburg County | Moratorium | pending | June 22, 2026 |
| Newberry County | Newberry County | Moratorium | in force | June 5, 2026 |
| Newberry County | Newberry County | Moratorium | enacted | June 4, 2026 |
| Chesterfield County | Chesterfield County | Moratorium | in force | June 1, 2026 |
| Colleton County Council | Colleton County | Moratorium | pending | May 4, 2026 |
| Horry County | Horry County | Zoning exclusion | pending | April 15, 2026 |
What one campus pays a local government
The parent piece's calculator puts a single large campus at $2M to $90M a year in local revenue, depending on the tax regime and abatements. The reference campus (Project Blue scale: $3.6B of capital, 286 MW) pays about $157M to local governments over 10 years. Permanent jobs run around 50 per facility.
| Tax regime | Reference case | Annual local revenue, low | Annual local revenue, high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggressive abatement | Morrow County OR (enterprise zone) | $2M | $3M |
| Partial abatement | Georgia audit representative campus / El Paso Meta | $27.8M | $56M |
| Unabated equipment tax | Virginia-style rates (Loudoun is the ceiling) | $50M | $90M |
Run your own numbers in the calculator on the parent piece. Jurisdictions in South Carolina that say no give up this revenue, not the jobs.