News

Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman spent the first workday of the new year with a community concerned about a looming threat: a Kingsboro data center.

“The purpose of this meeting was to get some answers from county officials about Energy Storage Solution’s proposal to build a $19 billion, 900-megawatt data center in the rural community of Kingsboro,” Katey said.

Oak Grove Retreat in Tarboro was the scene of this second gathering to talk about how a data center would impact the community. More than 50 people attended the meeting hosted by Edgecombe Neighbors for Data Center Accountability. Included among them were Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans, Assistant County Manager Mike Matthews and Commissioner Donald Boswell.

“A few people stood up to speak about their concerns about the data center and why they don’t want it, but a lot of people also asked questions about things we don’t have answers to yet, and it was very clear the county doesn’t have those answers either,” Katey said.

According to county officials, the county has not received the final proposal for the data center, so no action will be taken until that happens.

“The County people basically reiterated that they don’t have answers and offered assurances they’re not going to approve anything that’s not in the best interests of the county,” she said, adding those assurances did not stop community members from speaking out the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Monday, again sharing their concerns during the public comment period.

“I think it’s really good that we’re showing up to these county commissioners’ meetings even though it’s not on the agenda, because it shows how much the community cares about this decision,” Katey said. “That’s definitely getting the attention of the commissioners.”

Katey’s next steps include a meeting with County Manager Eric Evans on Monday to formally introduce Sound Rivers, its work and role as a resource to local government.

“I’ll also be asking them to commit to a separate public meeting after they get the proposal from Energy Storage Solutions, rather than just taking it to a vote in the following commissioners meeting,” she said.

Concerns about data centers include massive energy and water consumption, straining local grids, increasing emissions and depleting water resources, leading to community conflicts, particularly in drought areas. The Kingsboro data center proposes the use of City of Rocky Mount water, flowing from the Tar River through a water treatment plant to the proposed data center. The water used to cool systems is super-heated in the process and is then cooled with gases known to contain PFAs. Whether the water will be treated to remove the PFAs — if that’s even an option — or discharged straight into the Tar River is another concern.

Edgecombe County’s Board of Commissioners was set to vote on the sale of the property in the Kingsboro Industrial Park at the Dec. 1 commissioners meeting, where several people spoke about the project’s potential harms during public comments. The community of Kingsboro is the home of Citizens for Responsible Zoning, which organized in 1995 to prevent an industrial slaughterhouse from being built in Kingsboro. A state historical marker memorializing that victory was dedicated in April 2025.

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