Hut 8 to fund $16 million water infrastructure project for Louisiana AI site
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Key Takeaways
- Hut 8 is financing $16 million in water infrastructure, including a new well and eight miles of mains.
- The completed assets will be transferred to West Feliciana Parish at no cost to the public in late 2026.
- The River Bend AI campus will utilize a closed-loop cooling system to protect the local residential aquifer.
- The project is expected to generate 268 permanent direct and indirect jobs in the region.
The development features a new water well and roughly eight miles of piping, with a target completion date in the second half of 2026. Once finished, the infrastructure will be deeded to West Feliciana Parish, providing the community with expanded utility capacity without requiring public tax dollars. The upgrades are expected to serve more than 4,000 homes and 200 local businesses.
Phase 1 of the River Bend campus involves a multibillion-dollar investment. Hut 8 (NASDAQ: HUT) estimates the construction phase will employ up to 1,000 workers at its peak. Long-term operations are projected to create at least 75 direct permanent jobs and approximately 193 indirect positions, contributing a total of 268 jobs to the regional economy.
To mitigate the environmental footprint, the data center will implement a closed-loop cooling architecture. This system is designed to draw from water sources outside the primary residential aquifer, thereby preserving the local water supply for the community while meeting the facility's cooling needs.
The investment complements the state's broader $750 million Water Sector Program, which aims to modernize community water systems throughout Louisiana.
