Louisiana
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, plans to build multi-billion dollar AI data center in Louisiana
Facebook parent Meta is planning an artificial intelligence data center in north Louisiana, a multi-billion-dollar project that would bring as many as 500 permanent jobs and serve as an endorsement of Louisiana as a home of major technology infrastructure if it is able to win regulatory approval.
An application to state regulators for a new power plant to support the project says that an unnamed company wants to build “a large and economically transformative facility” in Richland Parish.
In recent days, economic development officials and regulators have said publicly that the project is a data center, and is expected to involve an investment in the billions of dollars. Two sources familiar with the project who weren’t authorized to speak publicly say the company is Meta.
Data centers — airport-sized buildings filled with computer servers and other IT infrastructure — are a critical part of the AI boom that is rapidly transforming the global tech industry.
Companies like Meta, Amazon and Microsoft are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to construct these processing hubs across the U.S. and overseas. Nothing of the scale of the Meta project has been proposed before in Louisiana, and state economic development officials, armed with a new tax credit to lure these projects, see them as way to attract high-paying jobs.
The project would also represent an economic development coup for Gov. Jeff Landry, a conservative Republican who is working to lower corporate tax rates and take on other business-friendly initiatives.
Landry’s office declined to comment. Meta did not respond to a request for comment on its role in the project.
“We’re a job jobs jobs administration, so we’re happy to see big projects,” said Stephen Swiber, the resilience officer for the Landry administration in an interview Tuesday, without referencing the Meta project specifically.
The $5 billion project is expected to employ 300 to 500 people with an average salary of $82,000, according to filings to the Public Service Commission from Entergy. The PSC is being asked to approve three new natural gas power plants and other generation updates from Entergy, at a cost of at least $3.2 billion, that would be used to power the facility.
During a panel discussion Thursday at the Tulane Energy Forum, PSC Commissioner Eric Skrmetta said the data center could be up and running with accompanying power plants within three years. In addition, he said that there are three other AI data centers in various phases of planning in Central Louisiana.
Technology companies are increasingly drawn to Louisiana because of the state’s low electricity rates and amenable regulatory process, Skrmetta said.
“We are moving them through the process quickly,” said Skrmetta. “They’re finding a lot of impediments in other states that are keeping them from moving forward.”
The PSC will hear Entergy’s proposal on Wednesday and decide whether to hire a private consultant and a law firm to review the utility’s application. Entergy is requesting the commission to evaluate the proposal in ten months, and the project is expected to face opposition.
A handful of groups have requested to intervene in Entergy’s power plant proposal, including the Sierra Club and the Southern Renewable Energy Association.
They’re raising concerns over the data center’s reliance on fossil fuels, high water demand and how ratepayers could be affected by Entergy’s proposal. The organizations are also worried about rushing the regulatory process for such a high-stakes project.
“They’re asking a whole lot and not giving time for people to take a position,” Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, said.
‘A game changer’
The data center, if it wins approval, could be transformational for Richland Parish, home to about 20,000 residents in a corner of the state that has struggled with high rates of poverty.
Meta is expected to set up shop on over 2,250 acres of agricultural land off Hwy 183, according to a public notice. Two of the proposed power plants would be located near the facility at a site called Franklin Farms in the community of Holly Ridge, the Entergy filings says.
“It’s a game changer for northeast Louisiana,” said PSC Commissioner Foster Campbell, whose district includes the proposed facility.
‘Tremendous opportunity’
Meta now operates more than two dozen data centers around the U.S. — massive facilities that can bring thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs.
Earlier this month, one of its newest data centers was completed outside of Nashville in Gallatin, Tennessee. The 800-acre campus has two buildings totaling more than 1.5 million square feet, with plans for a third underway. The $1.5 billion facility employed 1,100 constructions workers while it was being built and now has 100 full-time employees.
Those permanent jobs are technical and require skilled workers, typically with an associate’s degree, but do not require a four-year or professional degree, which makes Louisiana’s workforce well suited to the potential demand the centers will create.
Louisiana Economic Development has been a strong proponent of data centers. The agency supported legislation that went into effect this summer offering tax rebates on data center software and equipment, at a time when technology companies and private equity firms have ramped up investment in these facilities.
In an interview last month, LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said that her administration is working to bring data centers to north Louisiana.
“We have tremendous opportunity in that space. We have land and grid capacity,” Bourgeois said. “We have a workforce that is primed to deliver this kind of labor.”
The Louisiana Community and Technical College System was already working with the state to develop a curriculum to help train students for a career in the emerging field, Bourgeois said.
Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate reporter Liz Swaine contributed to this report.
Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
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Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.
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