MARLBORO COUNTY — A proposed data center project known as “Project Apollo” drew sharply divided reactions during a July 14 County Council meeting.
Project representatives Rochelle James and Craig Kirkshaw promoted the development as a major economic opportunity while residents raised concerns about environmental impact, utility costs, transparency, and long-term community benefit.
James introduced herself as CEO and Founder of a company under the data center project umbrella and Kirkshaw as Chief Technology Officer.
Project Apollo
James says the Iron City Data Corporation team has experience with more than 120 data center projects in the United States, manages more than $7 billion in development costs and construction companies including Microsoft, Google, Amazon and CoreWeave.
“We live in a digital world where more and more of our services are coming online,” James said, describing data centers as essential digital infrastructure. She compared data centers to the electrical grid, saying they support services from online banking and GPS to hospitals, 911 systems, utilities and artificial intelligence.
The company said Project Apollo would involve an estimated $500 million to $700 million investment, create 1,000 to 2,000 short-term construction jobs, and provide about 65 long-term jobs in Marlboro County. Representatives also said 2% of the project cost would be directed back into the community, with hopes of supporting workforce education and training through a partnership with Northeastern Technical College. The company proposed a classroom and micro data center on site so students and community members could “touch and feel and understand what a data center is.”
Addressing public concerns already expressed in recent data center public meetings, Kirkshaw said the project would use a “bring your own power” model with on-site fuel cells rather than relying on local utility infrastructure.
He said, “the way that we are building our data centers, we are doing what’s called BYOP or bring your own power. Project Apollo and all of the developments that we’re currently working on will do exactly that. We intend to have our own on-site power generation system.”
Kirkshaw said the fuel cells would use natural gas through an electrochemical process and claimed there would be “no emissions and no noise” from that system. He also said the development would use a closed-loop cooling system, with water circulating repeatedly over the life of the data center and water use limited to “restrooms, break rooms and basic cleaning purposes.”
“We’re going to do through the use of what’s called fuel cells. So, fuel cells, unlike engine generators or turbines, do not combust natural gas and send emissions into the air. They do use natural gas as a fuel source but through an electrochemical process with air you can produce hydrogen and thus electricity and that’s done in a very clean way so that there are no emissions and no noise,” he explained.
Kirkshaw added most sound would come from dry coolers like outdoor air-conditioning units and that the project’s design would likely measure about 65 to 70 decibels at the property line. He said the company could use mitigation measures, including site placement, sound walls, and noise modeling. Regarding emissions, he said that because the site would not combust fuel on site, there would be “no particulate matter,” “no NOx,” and “no SOx,” adding that fuel cells would have “virtually no emissions.”
Hearing from the public
During public comments, several residents spoke strongly against the proposal.
Katherine Felts, a Clio resident, called for an immediate moratorium on “all new data center approvals, zoning allocations, and pilot incentives in Marlboro County.”
She said, “These data centers threaten our community with dangers we are only just beginning to understand. Tech companies will try to soothe us by slapping a green label on these data centers, promising eco-friendly operations and sustainable energy. But communities across the country are waking up to a harsh reality. Corporate promises do not equal ecological results.”
Felts added that she felt like Marlboro County residents are being offered “a dangerous economic illusion,” tying her concerns to artificial intelligence, saying data centers were “being built to manufacture a godlike artificial super intelligence” and urged council to pass the moratorium she, and others, are requesting.
Another resident, Caleb McDowell, who is a manufacturing engineer in Marlboro County, said he supported Felt’s request for a moratorium and questioned whether communities elsewhere had heard similarly positive presentations before approving data centers.
He said, “We’ve all seen the news about data centers ruining communities and we’ve all seen the varying stories about the dangers of that. And I can’t help but think, did they get the same speech? Did it sound this good to them when they signed up for that? And I can’t help but think that to allow this would be a mistake for our community.”
McDowell added that he felt 65 jobs was not very enticing for the community and argued that what is good for the budget is not always good for residents.
Daniel Griggs said his business is within half a mile of the proposed site and that nearby residents, churches, and farms would be directly affected by noise or conditions.
“We will be directly affected. So therefore, I’m here to speak against it. Sixty five jobs. Sixty five jobs sounds like a great number. Maybe a fourth of them will be filled within the county, the rest of them won’t be. Will those people live in this county? Will they move to this county? Will they move to your neighborhood across the street from the data center? Probably not,” said Griggs.
He added, “We need to think about what we’re putting in place, how it’s going to affect each and every one of us, how it’s going to affect us long term. Are those 65 jobs 10 years from now going to return money back to our county, or are we looking at a get-rich quick scheme? I urge the eight of you to think long and hard. Do your research. Think about your citizens. Think about who it’s affecting and what we’re doing. Make the best decision possible.”
Robert Goff said he did not oppose “sensible economic development,” but argued that “any project this size deserves a thorough, transparent, and independent review before a final decision is made.” He asked for clear information on annual water use, water sources, drought impacts, independent noise studies, property values, electrical infrastructure, taxpayer costs, chemical use, PFAS safeguards, stormwater, groundwater, wastewater, traffic, emergency services, public infrastructure, local hiring commitments, wages, tax incentives, and whether the project was only the first phase of a larger expansion.
“My concerns center on the long-term impact this project could have on our community. I live in this community. I live right across the street from where you’re proposing it. I don’t think anybody here on council would be in that close proximity to it. So, it’s where I raise my kids, my grandkids, so I do have some concerns about that,” Goff said.
Some residents spoke in favor of the project.
Eva Harley Chiphe, a retired teacher and author, said residents should “take a deep breath and stop being afraid of progress and change.”
She added, “I’m so excited about the prospect of having a data center here in Marlboro County. I just talked to the representatives, and we talked about what she’s [James] going to do for the school system. She’s going to have a class. The students are supposed to be able to go out to the data center and do field studies. We are living in a technological age. We’re not living in 1870 with the buggies and the cotton. We’re not living there anymore. We are not living there. So, everybody needs to just cool down.”
Dean Moore says he also supports the project, suggesting that Marlboro County needs investment after losing industries over the years.
“Think about the industries we’ve lost the last several years. We can’t stand this, is breaking us down. We’ve got to have some investments. Richmond County (North Carolina) accepted it. Richmond County Council accepted 10 billion dollars,” Moore said.
(Note: Richmond County Council is not receiving $10 billion dollars — Amazon is planning to invest $10 billion to launch a new high-tech cloud computing and artificial intelligence innovation campus in Richmond County.)
Pointing out that he cares about environmental protection, Moore said he is also about jobs and Marlboro County “not dying as a community.” He argued that “AI is here” and said that he believes one or two small data centers could add to the tax base and encourage other industries to take another look at Marlboro County.
Following public comment on the matter, County Councilman Dr. Damian Johnson said, “Thank you to each one of our citizens for not only attending but voicing your concerns. While we cannot specifically comment, we do take your information under advisement. and so, we appreciate the amount of citizens who have expressed their opinions in regards to the projects that are on the table for Marlboro County.”