Data Center Census

Hamlet, Richmond County, NC

Amazon Web Services Richmond County data center campus

Also known as Project Blue Marlin, Energy Way

Under constructionBuildings under construction as of August 2026; draft air permits for backup generators were under state review
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Amazon Web Services is building a $10 billion data center campus at the county's Energy Way industrial site near Hamlet, next to Duke Energy's Sherwood H. Smith Jr. energy complex. The 646-acre site was sold by Richmond County for $26 million, and county commissioners approved 20-year property tax grants in June 2025. Construction began in fall 2025; local reporting says the first building is expected to open in 2027, with more planned through 2029.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Site size646 acres [3]
forest and former chicken farm sold by the county for $26 million
Buildings21 [3]
each 200,000 sq ft, per NC Newsline; DCD reported up to 20 buildings in 2025
Stated investment$10 billion [1]
planned investment
Permanent jobs (promised)500 [1]
at full build-out; county agreement requires $1 billion investment and 50 full-time jobs by 2030
Target completionFirst data center projected to open in 2027; more facilities through 2029 [5]

Power

UtilityDuke Energy [1]

Water

Water sourceRichmond County water system (municipal) [1]
Amazon says it will cool with outside air about 93% of the year and pay for water/wastewater extensions
Coolingoutside air most of the year, with water-based cooling in peak summer [5]

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesCounty grants of up to 50% of annual real property taxes and 65% of personal property (machinery and equipment) taxes for 20 years [2]

Local decisions & site

Parcel / addressEnergy Way Tech Campus, Airport Road, Hamlet [7]
Source excerpt
“Energy Way Tech Campus data center on Airport Road in Hamlet”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Timeline

  1. County drafts confidential purchase agreement with 'Project Blue Marlin' for the site [6]

  2. County commissioners vote to sell county parcels for $26 million and rezone land to heavy industrial [6]

  3. Richmond County commissioners approve property tax incentive grants [2]

  4. Gov. Josh Stein announces the $10 billion Amazon investment [2]

  5. Amazon breaks ground on the campus [4]

  6. NC DEQ holds joint public hearing on the Amazon and Duke Energy air quality permits in Rockingham [8]

  7. State regulators reviewing draft air permits for backup diesel generators after public hearings [6]

  8. NC DEQ announces final air quality permits for Amazon's 588 emergency engines and Duke Energy's 57 bridge power engines [7]

  9. Amazon expected to begin hiring for data center jobs [1]

Issues raised

  • Nearby residents say they were not told about the project before county decisions were made [3]
  • Air permit applications cover 592 backup diesel generators for Amazon plus 57 for Duke Energy; residents and environmental groups raised emissions and environmental justice concerns [3][6]
  • Energy and water terms of the deal were kept confidential [3]

Sources

  1. AWS Comes to Richmond County
    Richmond County Economic Development · Sep 4, 2026 · government
  2. Amazon to invest $10 billion into AI data centers in North Carolina
    Axios Raleigh · Jun 4, 2025 · news
  3. Inside the secretive deal for a $10 billion data center in rural North Carolina
    NC Newsline · Aug 6, 2026 · news
  4. Amazon breaks ground on $10bn data center complex in Richmond County, North Carolina
    DatacenterDynamics · Oct 31, 2025 · news
  5. Why one North Carolina county said yes to Amazon's $10 billion data center
    WRAL · Jul 20, 2026 · news
  6. Inside the Secretive Deal for a $10 Billion Data Center in Rural North Carolina
    Inside Climate News · Aug 4, 2026 · news
  7. NCDEQ's Division of Air Quality requires additional monitoring, testing in final air quality permits for Amazon data center and Duke Energy projects
    NC Department of Environmental Quality · Aug 28, 2026 · government
  8. DEQ announces joint public hearing on Amazon data center and Duke Energy air quality permits in Richmond County
    NC Department of Environmental Quality · Jun 26, 2026 · government