Plans for data center near nuclear power plant concern western Wake neighbors
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Natelli Investments seeks rezoning 190 acres near Shearon Harris for data center.
- Residents cite environmental, noise and utility concerns amid rising opposition.
- Facility wants 300 megawatts from Duke Energy; cooling may use reclaimed water.
A real estate development company is eyeing 190 acres of farmland near the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant for a data center and digital campus.
Natelli Investments has applied to nearby Apex to build a “New Hill Digital Campus” to house computer servers, back-up generators and water storage.
Opponents have formed the Protect Wake County Coalition, and circulated a petition against the proposal that had nearly 2,000 signatures, as of Thursday.
The property, a wedge of land between Old U.S. 1 Highway, Shearon Harris Road and U.S. 1, is located in an unincorporated part of western wake County, and Natelli Investments wants Apex to annex and rezone it.
“The New Hill Digital Campus is an ideal use for this property and the local community,” Michael Natelli, executive vice president, said in a news release. “Data Storage Facilities are modest users of public facilities. Not only do they generate far less traffic than residential communities, but they create high-wage technology jobs and strengthen the technology eco-system in their region.”
The facility would be served by Duke Energy’s transmission grid, avoiding any strain on Apex’s allocated power supply, according to the release. The data center would be cooled mainly with recirculating, non-drinking water.
Doug Stewart, who lives in the Jordan Point planned community about a mile from the proposed site, is one of the leaders of the coalition against the digital campus. He and about 100 people spoke out against the plans at a recent Apex Town Council meeting.
Residents aren’t against more growth or even necessarily against a data center, Stewart said, but they are worried about their potential health and the environment.
“The opposition is about site and safety and not specifically about the data center,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re not impairing the health of our citizens, our kids, whether it’s noise, light or air. Ultimately, we want our community to continue to grow. There’s a reason why we are one of the top cities in the country.”
What data centers do
Data centers help make sure smart phones and computers work instantly and on a global scale. Data centers, with their large stacks of servers, enable devices to store, process and distribute records, data and applications.
These centers have been used for decades, but AI and digitalization have spurred a land grab for new data centers. There are many in North Carolina already, but there is no official list, The News and Observer reported.
But that power creates heat, with data centers having to cool those servers, requiring significant water and power demands.
That’s part of the reason why Natelli sought this location: its proximity to Duke Energy’s nuclear power plant.
“The New Hill Digital Campus is compatible with the power plant because it will be a major user of electricity and proposes to connect into power infrastructure originating from the plant,” according to the rezoning application.
Natelli Investments hopes to connect to Duke Energy directly, and Duke Energy is doing a load study, to determine the data center’s average and maximum average electrical demand, according to the rezoning application.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Berkeley National Laboratory estimates data center power consumption could jump from about 4.4% of the nation’s electricity in 2023 to as much as 12% by 2028, The News and Observer reported earlier this year.
The application says the data center is seeking 300 megawatts of power from Duke Energy, enough to power tens of thousands of homes. Natelli Investments anticipates paying to bring power to the property, including a substation and power transmission lines.
The property is also about 500 feet from the Western Wake Regional Reclamation Facility, a wastewater treatment plant. This facility along with the power plant “have established an industrial backdrop for this area of Apex,” according to the application.
“The potable water requirements are very low because the facilities do not house many employees,” according to the application. “We are evaluating using reclaimed water from the nearby reclamation facility for water cooling purposes. Further analysis is needed to determined (sic) how much reclaimed water will be needed per day for cooling.”
If the facility is water cooled, roughly one-third of the water is evaporated, requiring new water.
It’s concerning that residents don’t know the electric and water consumption of this proposed campus and its potential cost to nearby residents and Wake County, in general, Stewart said.
“They’re more focused on the project they're working on and less on our concerns and opinions,” he said. “We’re hoping that’s something that our elected officials push for, because that’s why we elected them. To safely grow our community in a way that doesn’t have a human cost. And these unknowns are very, very concerning.”
While the data center itself won’t make noise, the fans and generators inside the center will. A zoning condition states noise won’t exceed 60 decibels, about the same as a normal conversation, at the property line, according to the rezoning application.
The data center buildings won’t be allowed within 250 feet of Old U.S. 1 Highway, and a line of evergreen trees will be planted along the north side of all buildings as a windbreak.
The campus will also plant 90% drought-tolerant plants and warm season grasses and keep 90% of the landscaping native to North Carolina. Large trees, 18 inches in diameter, and smaller trees, 8 inches in diameter, that could be cut down will be replaced, according to the rezoning application.
More community meetings are planned, according to the news release, and development could begin in late 2026 or early 2027 pending approvals and site planning.
The Apex Planning Board won’t hear this case until Nov. 10, and public hearings on this case will likely be held by the Apex Town Council on Dec. 9.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 3:02 PM.
