Microsoft Buys Person County Megasite

Microsoft acquired the 1,350-acre Person County Mega Park. The company paid nearly $27 million for land which the county has been trying to sell for the last 10 years. While it’s likely the company will construct a data center, no plans have been formalized yet. The Triangle Business Journal reports the company has said it wants to double its data center capacity by the end of 2024.

The Person County site is one of a handful of unfilled megasites in the state. Officials have said developing more megasites is critical to attracting large investments from major companies. Megasites were created to simplify things for potentially large users who do not want to go through a protracted planning process. They are basically shovel-ready land that shaves years off of a project timeline. 

Data centers have significant energy requirements. The Person County site is between a Duke Energy and Enbridge Gas power plant. Person County is 30 miles north of Durham.