DEQ sets hearing on Amazon, Duke Energy air permits for data center power
State air-quality regulators will take public comment on draft permits tied to temporary and backup diesel power for a proposed Amazon data center.
RALEIGH — North Carolina air-quality regulators will hold a public hearing next week on two draft air permits tied to power generation for a proposed Amazon data center in Richmond County.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality announced July 21 that its Division of Air Quality will receive public comments on draft permits for separate Amazon Data Services and Duke Energy facilities related to the proposed Energy Way Tech Campus data center on Airport Road in Hamlet.
The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 30 at the Old Richmond County Courthouse, Courtroom A, 114 E. Franklin St., Rockingham. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Public comments will be accepted through July 31.
According to DEQ, Amazon Data Services plans to build the data center, which would be temporarily powered by new Duke Energy engines before the facility is connected to the electric grid. Amazon would also operate its own backup emergency engines at the site.
Duke Energy Progress Richmond County Combustion Turbine Facility has applied to modify its existing air quality permit to construct and operate 57 new diesel-fired engines on Amazon’s property. DEQ said Duke refers to that temporary generation as “bridge power.” The engines would have to be retired within one year after operation begins.
Amazon has applied for a new air quality permit to construct and operate 588 new diesel-fired emergency engines for backup power. DEQ said those emergency engines would remain on site after the bridge power project is retired.
Under normal operation, the bridge power engines and backup engines would not run at the same time, though DEQ said limited concurrent operation could occur during testing and startup.
Both applications require Title V major source air quality permits. DEQ said both Amazon and Duke Energy have agreed to emission limits to avoid triggering the federal Prevention of Significant Deterioration permitting program.
The department said air dispersion modeling determined that emissions at each facility are not expected to violate health-based air quality standards. DEQ said it will consider public comments before making a final decision.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
