Hut 8 invests $16 million River Bend

Hut 8 said on May 19 that it will invest about $16 million to expand water infrastructure in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, as part of development of its River Bend AI data center campus. The company said the work will include a new water well, about eight miles of water main and other system upgrades that will be transferred to the parish when construction is finished in the second half of 2026, with no cost to taxpayers. The improvements are expected to increase capacity and reliability across the parish and could benefit more than 4,000 households and more than 200 employer establishments, according to the company. ### Where is River Bend, and what exactly is Hut 8 building there? West Feliciana Parish is the Louisiana parish tied to the River Bend campus, not Madison Parish as some social posts suggested. Louisiana Economic Development said in December 2025 that Hut 8 selected West Feliciana Parish for the River Bend artificial intelligence data center campus, with Phase 1 representing up to a $10 billion investment. (morningstar.com) River Bend is one of Hut 8’s large AI infrastructure projects in Louisiana. Hut 8 said in December that it signed a 15-year lease with Fluidstack for 245 megawatts of IT capacity at River Bend, supported by 330 megawatts of utility capacity, and that Google is providing a financial backstop for the base lease term. (morningstar.com) ### What does the $16 million water project include? The May 19 agreement covers a new water well, approximately eight miles of water main and additional system enhancements. Hut 8 said those assets will be handed over to West Feliciana Parish after completion in the second half of 2026. (hut8.com) More than 4,000 households and more than 200 employer establishments could benefit from the added capacity and reliability, Hut 8 said, citing U.S. Census Bureau data. Kenny Havard, president of West Feliciana Parish, said in coverage of the announcement that the project would strengthen the parish water system and expand service without added cost for residents. (morningstar.com) ### Why is a water project part of an AI data center buildout? Hut 8 said the water expansion is being built in connection with the River Bend campus and is meant to strengthen the local system as the site is developed. Chief Executive Asher Genoot said the company was building infrastructure “for communities, not just for ourselves,” and that at River Bend this meant strengthening the parish water system rather than straining it. (morningstar.com) The company also said River Bend will use a closed-loop cooling system that reduces ongoing water requirements and relies on water outside the residential aquifer, which it said means no impact to local residential water supply. That point matters because large AI data centers have drawn scrutiny in multiple U.S. markets over their demands on power and water systems. (morningstar.com) ### How large is the broader River Bend project? Phase 1 of River Bend is a multibillion-dollar build. Hut 8 said peak construction is expected to involve about 1,000 workers on site, while Louisiana Economic Development estimated the first phase would support at least 75 direct permanent jobs and about 193 indirect jobs, or 268 total. (morningstar.com) Hut 8 said on May 6 that it had continued construction at River Bend and, after the quarter ended, closed a $3.25 billion senior secured notes offering to finance the project. The company described that financing as the first single-sponsor data center project to access the investment-grade construction bond market. (morningstar.com) ### What happens next at River Bend? The second half of 2026 is the target for completion of the water-system work and transfer of those assets to West Feliciana Parish. Hut 8’s previously announced River Bend timeline calls for the initial data hall to be completed and commissioned in the second quarter of 2027, with additional data halls scheduled to come online through the rest of 2027. (morningstar.com) (sec.gov)