Gov. Tate Reeves announced Thursday that Amazon will be investing an additional $12 billion to build two new data centers — one in Ridgeland and another in Clinton. The state now has eight confirmed data centers that are either in the planning stages or under construction.
In 2024, the company announced a $10 billion investment, and last year it said it would spend an additional $3 billion to build another data center in Warren County. All told, with Thursday’s announcement, Amazon has promised to invest a total of $25 billion and create 2,000 jobs at its four planned data centers.
During an event announcing the new Amazon investment, held at the site in Ridgeland, Reeves said, “$25 billion in two years worth of announcements is providing Mississippians with high tech, high pay opportunities. It’s strengthening our communities, and it’s showing the world that our state is open for business.”
Amazon announced the first two Madison County data center projects in 2024, which included plans to build solar and wind farms in the state. At the time, the Legislature passed an incentives package with $44 million for workforce development and other tax incentives.
As part of the 2024 legislation, Entergy, which is providing power to Amazon, was given permission to build new power generating infrastructure without advance approval from the Mississippi Public Service Commission as is normally required. Entergy has said that Amazon’s investment will allow it to build new power generation and reduce costs for ratepayers.
“Because of Amazon, we have been able to roll out Superpower Mississippi. It delivers over $2 billion in savings to our customers, over $700 million in fuel saving,” Haley Fisackerly, CEO of Entergy Mississippi, said at the Ridgeland event
Some Mississippians have expressed concern about the large amount of energy and water data centers consume. In Amazon’s press release about the Ridgeland and Canton projects, it said it’s committed to building data centers responsibly in the state.
“We share a commitment to not impacting from other ratepayers, to build the facilities you see here,” Roger Wehner, vice president of economic development at Amazon Web Services, said at Thursday’s event.
Wehner said that Amazon would continue its community investment, including establishing science centers in surrounding school districts. And that it would transition to using recycled water at the Ridgeland site next year and promised to use no water in Clinton.
“We have a water positive goal,” Wehner said.
While state and local leaders at the event applauded the announcement, some residents have raised concerns about the various data centers in the state, including Amazon’s site in Canton.
Across the state, residents have questioned these projects, citing environmental concerns and a lack of transparency and community involvement in advance. Elon Musk’s xAI’s facility in Southaven has stirred up the most controversy over its plans to generate its own electricity. But others are excited about the potential impact of new tax revenue and jobs.
Reeves has been an outspoken proponent of data centers. In a recent interview with the Washington Post Intelligence, the Washington Post’s business information service, he said that Mississippi has attracted data centers because of the speed at which companies are able to complete projects in the state.
“In terms of our other advantages, we have space, we’ve been long [on available power to make deals work] and have a reputation now of getting deals done,” Reeves added.
