Meta, the parent company of Facebook, plans to build a $5 billion artificial intelligence data center in Louisiana.
Experts say the new facility could breath financial life into a historically economically depressed region.
Economist Loren Scott described the project as transformative for northeastern Louisiana.
“It is in the area of the state we call the Mississippi Delta, which is among the poorest areas of the country. So this is a real game changer.”
The planned data center will occupy the state-owned 1,440-acre Franklin Farms Megasite in Holly Ridge, near Monroe.
Factors that attracted the company include that it's location is out of the Hurricane Zone, available land and electricity.
“They will be using as much electricity as the entire city of Monroe. Entergy will be building a power plant there to supply them. That’s how big an electricity user they are.”
Entergy plans to build three natural gas power plants at a cost of $3.2 billion to support the A.I. data centers.
Scott says the one of the biggest impacts the data center will bring is job growth, with the average salary will be around $130,000.
“Then there’s going to be the multiplier effect of all that new spending. So, it’s going to be good for retail, it’s gonna be good for the service sector, healthcare, etc. So, everybody’s gonna get a shot in the arm.”
