Meta confirms expansion of $50B data center
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Construction in December 2025 at the Richland Parish site that will house Meta's new data center. Photo: Courtesy of Meta
Meta on Monday confirmed plans to expand its under-construction Richland Parish data center.
Why it matters: The $50 billion project is "one of the largest investments in AI infrastructure in the world," a press release says.
Catch up quick: When it was first announced, Meta's investment was pegged at $10 billion.
By the numbers: Meta's expansion brings more than $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements, including roads, water and wastewater systems, the press release says.
- The company is also donating $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College for scholarships aimed at data center job training. The Times-Picayune reports the New Orleans Career Center is also receiving a $250,000 donation.
- During construction, the facility will create about 7,500 jobs, up from the initial 5,000 when the project was first announced.
- Once up and running, it'll directly provide about 1,000 jobs and another 1,900 indirect jobs, Gov. Jeff Landry told a press conference Monday.
The big picture: Monday's confirmation also gives context to Meta's expanded power needs, which will require 10 new Entergy Louisiana power plants.
- Those plants will have the capacity to provide Meta with around 7,500 megawatts of power, according to numbers Entergy previously provided.
Flashback: New Orleans drew about 1,200 megawatts on a peak summer day a couple years ago, an Entergy spokesperson says.
In other words, Meta's data center could use around six times more power than the entire city of New Orleans on one of the hottest days of the year.
- That scale has resulted in some concern about the project's environmental impacts and potential cost for residents. Pushback also recently prompted Landry to direct Louisiana Economic Development to create a framework for ratepayer protections for data center projects that get built using state tax incentives.
What they're saying: "It's really important ... to speak very openly about some concerns that people have in this state and across the country about what does this kind of an investment really mean," said Meta president Dina Powell McCormick. "We care about the people that we're working with. We want to be the very best partners that this state could possibly have."
Follow the money: Meta expects its pair of Entergy deals, which include some clean energy commitments, to save Louisiana ratepayers more than $2 billion over the next 20 years.
- "When [Meta] came to Louisiana and we sat down with Entergy, we did it in a way that ensured that our citizens don't pay for this build-up," Landry said. "In fact, our citizens are paid. In other words, they are going to recognize electrical generation savings in their utility bills and a build-out in Louisiana's electrical infrastructure."