KEY TAKEAWAYS: Amazon hosted a Shreveport open house to address questions about its $18 billion northwest Louisiana data center investment. The project calls for three new data center campuses as residents raise concerns about environmental impacts. Amazon plans to invest up to $400 million in public water infrastructure and fund required water and wastewater improvements. Amazon is working with SWEPCO to fund energy infrastructure and grid upgrades without passing those costs to existing ratepayers.   A steady flow of curious Shreveport-Bossier citizens moved through the information-filled ballroom at the Shreveport Convention Center Tuesday evening as Amazon hosted an open house on its $18 billion data center project. Amazon held a four-hour open house Aug. 25 featuring booths with subject matter experts to discuss the project, community engagement and environmental impacts. “Anytime you have a major economic development project like this, particularly this size and magnitude, people are going to have questions,” Vice President of Economic Development for Amazon Roger Wehner said. “We want to have those conversations about what it means to us to be a good partner in the community. So, that’s really what tonight is about, transparency with the folks that have questions.” Amazon is planning to invest $18 billion in northwest Louisiana with the build of three new data center campuses. Concerned citizens have spoken out against this project calling for more information regarding the environmental impact on this region. According to Amazon, it will be working with its partner STACK Infrastructure to invest in local infrastructure and protect the recourses of this area. Amazon plans to invest up to $400 million in public water infrastructure to support all three campuses and has coordinated with local utilities to ensure sufficient capacity for both its facilities and existing customers. The company will fund all water and wastewater improvements required by the projects, while also working with partners on programs designed to return more water to local watersheds than its operations consume. According to Amazon, the facilities will rely on air cooling for most of the year, using water for cooling only when temperatures exceed approximately 85 degrees Fahrenheit — expected to occur less than 13% of the year in the region. Amazon is also working with Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) to fully fund the new energy infrastructure and grid upgrades required to serve its data centers, ensuring those costs are not passed on to existing ratepayers while strengthening grid reliability across the region. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Amazon hosts open house for new data center project Reporting by Makenzie Boucher, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less