A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Clinton on Tuesday to celebrate a billion-dollar data center project.
Officials with the city, Hinds County, and Amazon Web Services gathered at the Delphi building on Industrial Park Drive, which formerly housed a Milwaukee Tool warehouse, to highlight the occasion. Leaders touted that the project will reel in 1,500 construction workers for initial building purposes, create 100 new jobs, and serve as an outlet to give back to the community.
The city is expected to receive millions of dollars annually from Amazon, with the funding set to go to the local school district and other municipal functions.
When word spread about the project earlier this year, there was some pushback from the public. Concerns mainly centered on the potential impact Amazon’s data center presence would have on utility bills, while other worries revolved around the environmental impact of the facility.
Clinton Mayor Will Purdie promptly addressed his constituents. The first-term mayor noted that state law prevents utility companies from passing extra costs linked to data centers down to the consumer. Instead, Amazon must incur any additional costs associated with a spike in energy usage.
As for environmental concerns, Purdie added that the Clinton facility will not use any water. He also said that noise complaints in other areas where data centers are present will not affect his city, as the Amazon site will not be powered by a temporary plant relying on noisy gas turbines. The Clinton location will instead use power through the existing grid.
The Clinton data center is Amazon’s fourth in Mississippi. The company is building other ones in Canton, Madison, and Vicksburg.