Meta’s decision to build a $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in northeast Louisiana is the result of one of the most coordinated economic development efforts in state history—an all-hands, “whole-of-government” collaboration that united Louisiana Economic Development, Entergy, local officials, educators, and workforce partners to move at unprecedented speed.
The project came together in just eight months thanks to a tightly aligned team working under confidentiality to remove barriers, pass enabling legislation, and prepare the 2,250-acre Richland Parish megasite for construction. From the governor’s office and the Legislature to local economic developers at Grow NELA and educators across the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, every partner pulled in the same direction to land what LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois calls a “transformational win” for the state.
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Meta’s facility will employ more than 500 people directly, generate over 1,000 indirect jobs, and engage as many as 5,000 construction workers at the peak of building activity. The company is also partnering with Louisiana Delta Community College and other institutions to develop new curricula in data-center operations and emerging technologies, and will award Data Center Community Action Grants to strengthen STEAM education across the region.
The investment—recognized by Business Facilities Magazine with its 2024 Platinum Deal of the Year Award—illustrates what’s possible when Louisiana leverages unified public-private collaboration to compete for global technology projects. It has already sparked a wave of new inquiries from developers and positioned northeast Louisiana at the forefront of the nation’s digital economy.
