Apple expanding North Carolina data center operations with $3M, 200-acre land purchase

According to a new report from Hickory Daily Record, Apple is expanding its data center operations in North Carolina with the purchase of $3 million worth of land in Conover, Catawba County. The purchase would include 218.885 acres and another 0.251 acres for a new solar farm. HDR cited “deeds and a plat book at the Catawba County Register of Deeds”:

CONOVER, NC — California-based technology giant Apple has spent nearly $3 million to buy more than 200 acres of property in Catawba County for another solar farm… It’s another step in Apple’s pledge to have its Maiden data center running on 100 percent renewable energy by the end of the year…Apple recently closed on the land purchase that includes a tract of 218.885 acres and another tract of 0.251 acres, according to deeds and a plat book at the Catawba County Register of Deeds.

According to the report, the land is located on the East side of Lai Ber Drive Extension in Conover, with a portion located on the West side of the road. As of Monday, the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation agreed to install new infrastructure at a new data center park it operates on 70 acres next to Apple’s property. The President of Catawba County Economic Development Corporation told HDR “an industry approached the EDC about purchasing a portion of the properties for a potential future project,” noting the income would help fund development but would not confirm if Apple is involved.

We recently showed you new aerial shots of the construction progress being made on Apple’s current data center and solar farm in Maiden, N.C. According to Apple, those installations account for a 100-acre, 20-megawatt installation on the Maiden data center site and another 100-acre site just a few miles away. The over 200 acres in Conover is Apple’s only land in the Catawba County area other than its main solar farm and data center installations in Maiden.