NEW CARLISLE, Ind. -- Amazon representatives told the St. Joseph County Water Advisory Board that the company’s New Carlisle data center is expected to use less water than initially anticipated, while emphasizing its commitment to sustainability and transparency amid growing concerns about data center utility usage.

During an Oct. 22 meeting, Amazon Web Services representatives reported that the New Carlisle facility uses about 35 to 40 gallons of water per minute.

Board members said the reported usage was lower than they expected.

Josh Weissman, vice president of data center delivery at Amazon Web Services, said the facility’s water usage is limited to certain periods of the year.

“We’re only going to use water 2% of the year,” Weissman said. “That equates to about 550,000 gallons of water per year per data center, and so, at full construction, our data center will use approximately 18 million gallons of water per year.”

The New Carlisle data center does not use a closed-loop water system, according to Amazon representatives.

Water and energy usage have become major concerns for communities across Michiana as data center development expands throughout the region. Those concerns have grown amid a troubling year for energy provider NIPSCO.

Amazon also addressed its energy agreement with NIPSCO, saying the company pays for the electricity needed to operate its data centers.

As part of the agreement, Weissman said Amazon contributed $1.25 billion toward helping reduce consumer utility bills.

“Specifically, in our NIPSCO deal that we have to bring electrons to our data center, we paid $1.25 billion to help pay down consumer bills,” Weissman said.

The agreement is expected to provide credits toward future utility bills for local residents.

Amazon representatives also discussed how the company’s data centers are designed to remain operational during power outages.

The facilities draw electricity from the high-voltage transmission grid rather than the residential distribution grid, Weissman said.

That distinction could help prevent disruptions during severe weather, including an August storm that left many Michiana residents without power.

“We did a study with NIPSCO during that last storm, and we would have not lost any power toward our data centers at all,” Weissman said.

Amazon recently announced another change aimed at addressing community concerns: the company will no longer sign nondisclosure agreements with local governments.

The agreements had been common practice during Amazon’s two decades of data center development. The company said the decision followed feedback from community members and was intended to promote greater transparency.