Meta, the parent company of Facebook, plans to build a $5 billion artificial intelligence data center in Holly Ridge, near Monroe due to its location out of the Hurricane Zone, available land and electricity. 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. Scott says the reason behind selecting Richland Parish is Land, Northeast Louisiana is outside the Hurricane zone 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.”
Scott says the one of the biggest impacts the data center will bring is job growth, with the average salary will be around $130-thousand and the ripple effect will be felt to the much-needed community of Richland Parish.
“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.”
Entergy plans to build three natural gas power plants at a cost of $3.2 billion to support the A.I. data centers.
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