There’s been much concern and many questions about the new prospective data center project at Resilient Tech Park in Shreveport. We brought questions to officials representing the city council, SWEPCO, City of Shreveport Department of Water and Sewage, NLEP, and project partners.

Here’s the answers we received to questions submitted to us from members of the community.

How many jobs will the data center provide, excluding construction jobs?

The data center will provide 150 direct jobs with a contractual minimum wage of $85,000 per year. In addition, another 150 jobs will be contractors, most with similar benefits.

How many construction jobs will the project provide?

Up to 1,500 constructions jobs will be created due to the project. The majority of these jobs are expected to be filled by local companies, due to the cheaper costs of not having to pay for travel, board, etc.

Why were they given tax exemptions?

The exemptions were given after a formal review of the project feasibility as a means of encouraging them to choose Shreveport over other possible locations. Similar to how AT&T may offer you a free phone to get your service, the data center was provided these incentives to encourage them to choose our city.

What happens if they don’t meet their obligations?

The team of developers and local officials have met for dozens of hours hashing out the exact agreement. While those negotiations continue, we have been assured that their are many clauses and repercussions that will ensure they meet their obligations. For instance, if they don’t meet their minimum job requirements alone they would be required to pay millions of dollars and would lose their tax exempt incentives.

Will there be increases to electric bills due to the data center?

No. There will be no increases to electric bills due to the data center. SWEPCO has worked with them over several months, completing both an internal study and regional corporate study to understand the data center’s feasibility and needs for our grid. They took these findings to the data center and shared what’s needed. The data center developers have agreed to pay 100% of any additional infrastructure that is needed.

Will there be increases to water bills due to the data center?

No. There will be no increases to water bills due to the data center. Backed by a substantial private investment reaching into the double-digit millions, the data center developers will fund, construct, and donate land for a new elevated water tank. This is part of their commitment to be a responsible neighbor by strengthening Shreveport’s water infrastructure and improving systemwide pressure.

The developer will fully fund all required infrastructure upgrades and offsite extensions, so there is no cost to local ratepayers.

Will the developers receive discounted electric, water or sewage rates?

No. The project will pay standard industrial water rates, generating new revenue for the city that can help fund system improvements without increasing residential rates. We confirmed there is no discount with SWEPCO as part of their agreement as well.

Can Cross Lake support the data center development’s use of water?

According to the Dept of Water and Sewage, this has been studied extensively over the past year or so as well. With Cross Lake having nearly 21 billion gallons of water, they confirmed the facility will not impact local citizens. They’ve also got strict clauses in their agreements with the developers on infrastructure needs that must be provided by them as well as restrictions on how much they can grow.

The City of Shreveport’s existing water treatment system has approximately 75 MGD of capacity, only a fraction of which is currently being utilized. The project will operate well within this capacity while ensuring continued reliable service for residents and businesses.

We were told Libbey Glass previously used similar amounts of water at their facility. This isn’t the first Shreveport facility to use water at this level. The system didn’t experience any issues with Libbey Glass’ water use.

How will the data center impact the environment and local citizens?

The data center will utilize no chemicals at the facility.

Visitors to the data center site in Virginia shared that they were impressed by how clean and quiet it was. The Virginia data center is in a wealthier county and the visitors noticed families with kids playing as well as walking trails right in the immediate area of the facility.

They specifically asked for a generator to be turned on while visiting and listened inside the building, on the roof, and in the nearby neighborhood. The generator was so quiet they had to ask how the individual confirmed the generator was running.

While some other facilities may have experienced issues with noise, we’re told these are typically older facilities. Technology innovations have vastly reduced the noise of modern data centers to a minuscule number of decibels.

In regards to generator emissions, all of the developers other facilities have met or exceed the requirements under law. None are even close to triggers commonly watched.

What economic impact will the data center have for Shreveport-Bossier?

The data center developers have agreed to pay a 1% sales tax, despite the State of Louisiana requiring 0% for their industry. This is estimated to bring in a vast and substantial revenue for our area.

The project will generate billions of dollars in direct and indirect investment into Shreveport.

How does the data center developers plan to give back to the community?

They will be building a dedicated right-of-way to enable future expansion of the Bert Kouns Industrial Loop in order to improve roadway interconnectivity for the city.

The developers will also be building and paying for an elevated water tank to strengthen Shreveport’s water infrastructure and improve systemwide pressure.

Workforce training partnerships will also be established to expand local education pathways and long-term career opportunities.