Amazon will build up to 21 data centers on West Richland land it paid $264M for
Amazon Web Services confirmed it is behind a $264 million land purchase in West Richland for a data center campus that could eventually include 21 buildings. The project faces local opposition over its proximity to homes, water and power consumption, noise, and environmental impacts, while the City Council considers an interim data center moratorium.
Amazon Web Services confirmed it is the buyer behind nearly 1,000 acres at Lewis & Clark Ranch in West Richland, where it plans to build three initial data center buildings and potentially expand to 21. The company will host a public open house and has not yet submitted a site plan, meaning the project remains subject to city review and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act.
Residents and Tri-Cities Data Center Watch have raised concerns about the campus’s location near roughly 200 homes, as well as its expected water, electricity, noise and wastewater impacts. Amazon says the first three buildings would use about 10 million gallons of water annually and that full development could require 70 million gallons; it also says it will source its own power and limit effects on local utility customers. The West Richland City Council is scheduled to consider an interim moratorium on data centers.