Meta Builds $50 Billion Louisiana AI Data Center as Entergy Powers 6-Square-Mile Site
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 27
Meta Builds $50 Billion Louisiana AI Data Center as Entergy Powers 6-Square-Mile Site
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 27
Summary
$50 billion is the planned cost of Meta’s AI data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, a roughly six-square-mile project described as one of the world’s largest.
Entergy Louisiana drove the bid: CEO Phillip May helped secure tax rebates, buy nearby land and draft nondisclosure agreements, while promising dedicated natural-gas turbines powerful enough to supply New Orleans seven times over.
Nine months of secret talks among Meta, Entergy, Governor Jeff Landry’s administration and local officials preceded the public announcement, with the project’s speed and secrecy held up as a model for future tech deals.
The project adds detail to a deal Louisiana approved in 2024, when Meta won a tax rebate for what became the state’s largest development in an impoverished farming parish.
Meta promised jobs and infrastructure, but will Louisiana’s massive data-center tax break deliver enough benefits to justify the power and water strain?
Why did Louisiana quietly rewrite a fiber-tax bill for Meta, and what could the Richland Parish deal really cost taxpayers over time?
The $50 Billion Hyperion Data Center: Secrecy, Subsidies, and the High Cost of Louisiana’s AI Gold Rush
Overview
Louisiana’s deal with Meta for the Hyperion data center began when Senator Morris helped pass a bill giving the state new power to lease land, which was quickly used to secure a site for Meta. Soon after, Morris and his business partners bought land next to the project, raising ethics concerns. To attract Meta, state leaders rewrote legislation to grant a $3.3 billion tax break, while public officials signed strict NDAs that blocked transparency. The project’s huge energy needs led to fast-tracked approvals for new gas plants, leaving local residents facing higher bills, housing pressures, and little say in decisions that benefit Meta and connected insiders.