HAMLET — The journey of economic development, according to Roger Whener, is a marathon not a sprint.
Wehner, vice president of economic development for Amazon Web Services, detailed the company’s nearly two-year journey to Richmond County during the official announcement at Cole Auditorium on Wednesday.
“Our journey with site selection typically starts with power,” said Wehner.
The Energy Way Industrial Park wasn’t initially on Amazon’s radar, Wehner explained, “but in October of 2023, Duke Energy changed that.”
That’s when Wehner said he first heard of the site — ranked last summer as one of the state's top 15 potential industrial sites.
The industrial park, which Richmond County Economic Development started working on in 2019, is located across Airport Road from Duke’s Smith Energy Complex south of Hamlet.
The Smith Complex, according to Duke’s website, features five combustion turbines with a generating capacity of 820 megawatts.
A 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Energy notes that data centers consumed 4.4% of the nation’s electricity and estimates that figure could nearly triple by 2028 to as much as 12%.
Energy usage can range from 5-10 megawatts for individual data centers to 100 megawatts or more for hyperscale data centers, according to the International Energy Agency.
Amazon Web Services will construct 20 data center buildings, each with a footprint of 200,000 to 250,000 square feet at Energy Way, according to a press release from RCED, with an initial investment of $10 billion.
Eventually, Wehner met with Economic Developer Martie Butler and County Manager Bryan Land, who he described as a “world-class team.”
“They made us earn their trust — it’s exactly what they should do,” Wehner said. “They made us be very specific about what our partnership in this community would look like.”
That partnership includes bringing 500 jobs to the county within the next five years, according to a press release issued by RCED. Per the incentive agreement, Amazon must provide no less than 50 jobs and have at least $1 billion in capital investment by the end of 2030.
Wehner said construction on the data center complex will start within the coming weeks at a quick pace: “We like to move fast.”
The cutting-edge cloud computing facility will underpin music and video streaming, telemedicine and national security, as well as the nation’s “competitiveness in the AI race that we currently face globally,” according to Wehner.
“All of that will be happening at our facilities in Richmond County,” he added.
In addition to the facility jobs, Wehner said the project will bring thousands of construction jobs to the area over the next decade.
Amazon is also planning to invest around $35 million in water and sewer infrastructure, as well as “tens of millions of dollars” to build fiber connectivity throughout the region — all of which Wehner said will benefit the entire community.
Dr. Rick Watkins, chairman of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, welcomes Amazon Web Services to Richmond County.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Dr. Rick Watkins, chairman of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, said the project will “transform the local economy” and improve the quality of life for all residents “for decades to come in Richmond County.”
Click here to read more on Amazon’s local community partnership efforts.
“We can’t thank all of you enough for your faith in us, to be a partner in this community to help it achieve its goals and objectives,” Wehner said.
Kendal Bowman, North Carolina president of Duke Energy, likened economic development to competitive sports.
“And without these great partnerships and working together, you don’t land deals like this every day,” Bowman said. “This is a major win for Richmond County, for the state and most importantly for the people who live and work here…we are thrilled to be a part of all of this.”
