Meta Adds $40 Billion to Louisiana AI Campus, Pushing Total Investment Past $250 Billion Amid Growing Scrutiny

Meta has disclosed an additional $40 billion in funding for its sprawling “Hyperion” data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, raising the project’s total capital commitment to over $250 billion. The figure combines the new allocation with the $200 billion previously reported by Bloomberg in May and an initial $10 billion pledged for the facility and surrounding community infrastructure.

The 4,000-acre campus is projected to demand 5 gigawatts of computing capacity upon completion, with an additional 2 gigawatts reserved for broader campus operations. The anticipated 7-gigawatt load exceeds three times the total electricity consumption of New Orleans.

In a company blog post, Meta emphasized the project’s local economic impact, citing $50,000 retention bonuses for teachers funded by increased tax revenues, $1.6 billion in contracts awarded to area businesses, and grants for public schools and youth programs through its Data Center Community Action Grants initiative. Richland Parish School District Superintendent Sheldon Jones described the investment as “life-altering for our teachers and their families,” noting it has made the parish “a destination for education as well as industry.” Meta estimates the completed campus will support 1,000 permanent jobs, alongside a dedicated $1 billion fund for road, water, and wastewater upgrades.

However, the development faces significant opposition. Environmental and consumer advocacy groups have challenged the energy plan, which relies on Entergy Louisiana constructing ten new gas-fired power plants to supply the facility. Residents near similar plants nationwide have reported health issues including dizziness, nausea, vertigo, and sleep disruption.

A Guardian investigation published by Floodlight raised ethical concerns regarding the project’s approval process. The report alleges that Louisiana State Senator John “Jay” Morris played a pivotal role in fast-tracking the Entergy gas plant authorization while his business partners handled land transactions required for the facility. Louisiana ethics statutes require officials to recuse themselves from votes presenting conflicts of interest and prohibit leveraging public office for private gain. Morris has denied any violation, stating, “Under Louisiana’s ethics laws, I don’t” have a conflict.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Alliance for Affordable Energy (AAE) have criticized the campus’s massive power draw, warning that the associated infrastructure costs—including a $550 million transmission line deemed necessary solely for Hyperion—will be borne by Entergy ratepayers rather than the company itself. The UCS further cautioned that the Louisiana Public Service Commission’s expedited approval of the gas plant bypassed standard regulatory scrutiny, potentially locking consumers into decades of fossil fuel dependency and fuel cost exposure.

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