• Orangeburg County Council will consider the first reading of a temporary moratorium covering data centres, data processing facilities, and cryptocurrency mining operations
  • The proposal would pause rezoning, permitting, site-plan, and incentive applications but requires further readings before taking effect

The fact

Orangeburg County Council will consider the first reading of a temporary moratorium on data centres, data processing facilities and cryptocurrency mining operations at a special virtual meeting on 23 July. The measure would stop the county from accepting or acting on rezoning requests, special-use applications, building permits, site plans and development plans linked to those projects.

It would also pause applications for economic incentives, fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements and other county approvals. Further readings would be required before the ordinance could take effect. The reporting does not state how long the moratorium would last, whether any projects would be exempt or how existing applications would be handled.

The assessment

The proposed moratorium would pause both the county approval process and negotiations over public incentives. Data-centre projects could not move through rezoning, site-plan review, or building permits, and developers could not secure economic incentives or fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements while the pause remained in place. This would give Orangeburg County time to set its rules before allowing new projects to advance through the local process.

For BTW readers, the proposal would put rulemaking ahead of individual project approvals. Its effect would depend on the final duration, any exemptions and how existing applications are treated— none of which has been disclosed. Those terms will determine which projects are affected and how long new applications may have to wait.

What to watch

Watch the first-reading vote and any amendments covering the moratorium’s duration, exemptions and treatment of existing applications. Further readings are required before the ordinance could take effect, and the final text would define which approvals and incentive agreements are paused.