Data center siting snapshot: Berkeley County, South Carolina

Line miles are measured from the archived HIFLD Transmission Lines layer inside the Census county boundary. Mapped lines are not available capacity.

What the public record shows

The archived HIFLD map displays approximately 291.7 miles of 230 kV transmission line within Berkeley County, with no miles recorded at 500 kV or 345 kV levels ^[1]. An additional 278.3 miles of 115–161 kV line are mapped in the area ^[2]. South Carolina Electric & Gas and Duke Energy Progress (NC) hold the most mapped 115 kV+ line miles in the county ^[3]. One named line endpoint touching 230 kV+ lines is mapped inside the county ^[4]. Retail electric utilities with mapped service territories covering part of the county include South Carolina Public Service Authority, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, and Dominion Energy South Carolina, though these boundaries are approximate ^[5].

Our records show no county- or city-level data center moratorium or ordinance for Berkeley County as of 2026-11-09 ^[6]. Several state-level bills are pending, including S. 867, which creates a Data Center Development Office and tiered siting permits ^[7]. H. 5526 and H. 5286 are joint resolutions proposing statewide moratoriums on data center approvals until specific oversight processes are established or until 2028 ^[8][9]. H. 4583 requires complete energy independence and closed-loop water systems ^[10]. S. 902 mandates a PSC certificate before operation, while S. 784 adds commercial electric-service terms for data centers ^[11][12].

Drafted by our local model from the numbered facts below, then checked sentence by sentence by a second model and a rules-based check.

Data center rules on record

Rule records come from The MW Desk legislation tracker, which includes rows from the Moratorium Nation dataset by Michael J. Bommarito (CC BY 4.0). Statuses change; confirm with the jurisdiction's own record.

Utilities on record

South Carolina Public Service Authority, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, Dominion Energy South Carolina. (HIFLD/EIA-861 territory polygons; approximate and often overlapping.)

Market context on The MW Desk: The Carolinas (Charlotte, Triangle, Upstate SC).

Sources

1. [1] The archived HIFLD map shows about 291.7 miles of 230 kV-and-above transmission line inside Berkeley County, SC: 0.0 miles at 500 kV or more, 0.0 miles at 345 kV and 291.7 miles at 230 kV. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
2. [2] The same map shows about 278.3 miles of 115–161 kV line in the county. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
3. [3] Owners of record with the most mapped 115 kV+ line miles in the county: South Carolina Electric & Gas, Duke Energy Progress (NC). Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
4. [4] 1 named line endpoints touching 230 kV+ lines (usually substations or switchyards) are mapped inside the county. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
5. [5] Retail electric utilities whose mapped service territory covers part of the county include: South Carolina Public Service Authority, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, Dominion Energy South Carolina. Territory boundaries are approximate. Source: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (EIA-861 based; archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
6. [6] Our records hold no county- or city-level data center moratorium or ordinance for Berkeley County as of 2026-11-09. Source: The MW Desk legislation tracker
7. [7] South Carolina state/utility level, South Carolina: S. 867 (2026) ("Data Center Development Act." Creates a DES Data Center Development Office, tiered state siting permits, water-efficiency standards, infrastructure adequacy review, environmental review, decommissioning/financial assurance, noise/light/vibration controls, PSC cost-allocation oversight, and local land-use coordination without preempting local zoning). Status: pending, dated 2026-05-06. Source: South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session, S. 867 Bill Status
8. [8] South Carolina state/utility level, South Carolina: H. 5526 (2026) (Statewide moratorium joint resolution. Would bar state and local governments from accepting or acting on data center permits or applications that lack final approval until the General Assembly establishes a comprehensive oversight and approval process. Defines data center at 5 MW peak demand or greater). Status: pending, dated 2026-04-14. Source: South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session, H. 5526 Bill Status
9. [9] South Carolina state/utility level, South Carolina: H. 5286 (2026) (Statewide moratorium joint resolution. Would prohibit state, county, municipal, and political-subdivision final approval for new data center applications, permits, rezoning, special exceptions, special use permits, building permits, site plans, plans of development, FILOTs, and incentives until 2028-01-01. Defines data center at 1 MW or more). Status: pending, dated 2026-03-31. Source: South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session, H. 5286 Bill Status
10. [10] South Carolina state/utility level, South Carolina: H. 4583 (2026) ("South Carolina Data Center Responsibility Act." Requires complete energy independence, bars state and local taxpayer-funded incentives, requires closed-loop water or liquid cooling with zero net water withdrawal and discharge, imposes strict liability and insurance/bonding, and sets employment/reporting requirements). Status: pending, dated 2026-02-18. Source: South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session, H. 4583 Bill Status
11. [11] South Carolina state/utility level, South Carolina: S. 902 (2026) ("Data Center Siting Act." Requires a PSC certificate before a data center may operate in South Carolina; includes public hearing procedures, intervention rights, environmental and infrastructure review, water and operational efficiency standards, annual reporting, decommissioning, and utility cost-allocation safeguards). Status: pending, dated 2026-02-10. Source: South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session, S. 902 Bill Status
12. [12] South Carolina state/utility level, South Carolina: S. 784 (2026) (Broad energy bill. Adds commercial data center electric-service terms, including 15-year contracts, minimum billing, termination cost recovery, collateral, PSC approval, water reporting, and data center tax-exemption cutoff revisions). Status: pending, dated 2026-01-14. Source: South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session, S. 784 Bill Status