Meta says Aiken data center will use closed-loop cooling, create construction jobs and report operational metrics

Alicia Treanor, Metas public policy manager for infrastructure and energy, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Metas Aiken data center in Sage Mill Industrial Park represents an $800 million investment and has engaged roughly 1,200 skilled trade workers at peak construction.

Treanor said the Aiken facility uses a closed-loop liquid-cooled system with dry coolers for heat rejection and that the cooling system will use no operational water in normal operations; she characterized the total non-cooling domestic water demand as "about two restaurants' worth" per year. "That is a highly water efficient cooling system, and it will use no operational water during its normal operations," Treanor said.

Meta described the Aiken campus as a hyperscale facility that serves Metas platforms and services (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and AI workloads) rather than third-party cloud customers. Treanor said the company will report energy and water withdrawals for operational data centers in its annual sustainability reporting and will include Aiken once the site is operational, likely in early 2027.

On community investment, Treanor said Meta has provided about $500,000 so far for STEM education, workforce development and local community organizations tied to the Aiken project and that Meta maintains a regional community development manager to coordinate ongoing giving and engagement. She also committed to follow up with the committee on precise incentive amounts provided by local authorities, subsea-cable questions and specific megawatt phasing for the site.

The committee pressed Meta on power and reporting timelines but took no formal action; members requested follow-up documentation on the Aiken sites expected electricity and water consumption once that data is available.