Bitcoin Miner Hut 8 Gets Approval for AI Data Center in Louisiana

Officials in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, have approved a zoning change for what is touted as a $2.5 billion AI data center development by Bitcoin mining firm Hut 8.

Local media reported that the parish’s Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved the project planned by Hut 8 on Monday. The data center, to be built on a 611-acre site, is expected to bring both permanent jobs and significant construction-related opportunities to the region.

Riley Trettel, Hut 8’s senior vice president of data center development, stated the company is working on an “aggressive timeline” to complete the project. The facility will be leased to an unnamed tenant, who plans to purchase $10 billion worth of data center hardware, Trettel added.

The first phase of construction will include two 450,000-square-foot buildings housing data servers. The first building is expected to be operational by the end of 2025, with the second phase slated for completion in 2026.

Documents submitted to local officials indicate that the initial phases will require 300 megawatts (MW) of power, with future expansions potentially pushing energy demands beyond 1 gigawatt (GW).

Reports of Hut 8’s data center plans sparked speculation last month that Meta could be the unnamed tenant, though Meta is constructing its own multibillion-dollar data center in a different parish in northern Louisiana.

Separately, Hut 8 recently launched an at-the-market program to raise up to $500 million through stock offerings. In December, the firm also reinforced its Bitcoin hodl strategy by acquiring 975 BTC from the market.