Government’s push to transform Region Three into an industrial hub powered by the Wales Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project is now facing deeper scrutiny, as plans for a massive artificial intelligence (AI) data centre expose another critical pressure point: water.

While officials continue to promote the GTE project as a catalyst for development, little has been said about the significant water demands that will accompany one of its flagship investments—a proposed 100-megawatt AI data centre to be developed under a 2025 Memorandum of Understanding with U.S.-based Cerebras Systems.

At a recent regional engagement, Senior Petroleum Coordinator Bobby Gossai Jr. confirmed that the data centre will be part of a broader industrial buildout, alongside a fertiliser plant and a gas bottling facility—all powered by natural gas from the Stabroek Block.