Is there a data center proposed for Conway? What Horry County officials say

A billion-dollar data center is proposed in Conway, but not in South Carolina.

An AI data center was proposed in Conway, Arkansas, near Lollie Road over a year ago, and those residents are still making headlines for their opposition.

Horry County residents may have confused the planned data center for Conway, South Carolina, near Collins-Jollie Road after a Facebook post was shared over the weekend.

County officials have confirmed there are no known plans for data centers in unincorporated Horry County.

“I can’t speak to any municipalities, but I’m not aware of any anywhere in the county,” County Councilman Dennis DiSabato said.

Opposition to data centers has grown in South Carolina and around the U.S. based on high energy costs to noise pollution. As companies look to ramp up their digital processing and artificial intelligence capabilities, they need to build physical warehouses of computers, The State reported. While they may bring jobs and tax revenue, data centers can also strain energy grids and natural resources.

Last month at an Infrastructure and Regulations committee meeting, data centers were discussed regarding regulations for potential future projects. The county’s municipal code does not mention data centers, so staff wanted to preemptively set size, location and zoning restrictions if they were to be proposed in the future.

DiSabato said the way the amendment was brought to the council was in line with interest of a potential data center coming to the area.

“At the time we decided that we did not necessarily desire data centers in the county, and so if these changes are going to be made they need to be made in such a way that would be very restrictive and protect the quality of life of surrounding residents,” DiSabato said. “At that point I think the appetite for whoever was trying to bring the data center into the county went away.”

DiSabato said to his knowledge there are no plans for the proposed amendment to be brought up in future meetings. Chairman of the I&R committee Al Allen could not be reached before publication to clarify if the amendment would resurface.