AMORY, Miss. (WTVA) – A Bitcoin mining facility is under construction in Amory.

Utilities Manager Mike King said the goal is to help “off set the load on utilities” as they have lost a few businesses.

This new project is being built on an industrial site along Waterway Drive.

Officials explain the final project will be a few shipping containers on the site filled with equipment.

Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that exists online. And a Bitcoin mining facility is a building filled with computers to help verify Bitcoin transactions and keep the digital currency system running.

Some residents tell WTVA 9 News they hope the project will bring economic growth.

“I hope and I pray to God that this right here will stabilize the utility cost, and our community can start moving forward in the right direction as far as helping them save money,” Stephanie Whitfield, Monroe Case Manager, said.

A well experienced software engineer told WTVA 9 News that data centers can support a wide range of services including social media, gaming and artificial intelligence.

This location in Amory will not be a large data center.

City leaders report the project remains on track fo an August completion.