Facebook parent company Meta is planning to build a five-billion-dollar artificial intelligence (AI) data center near Monroe in Richland Parish. Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell says this would be huge.
“It’s the largest thing that’s ever happened in north Louisiana. We’re all excited about it. We hope that it comes true,” Campbell said.
The facility would employ as many as 500 people with an average salary of 82-thousand dollars. Campbell says northeast Louisiana is one of the poorest areas in the country.
“This will help people, if you can imagine, really from Monroe all the way to Vicksburg. That whole area of people will be able to benefit from this great plant. We’re so excited about it,” Campbell said.
Campbell sits on the Public Service Commission. The P-S-C will have to approve the construction of three new natural gas power plants that would supply power to the A-I facility. Campbell says he’ll do what he can to make sure the project becomes a reality, because northeast Louisiana needs the jobs.
“If you could imagine five hundred to six hundred jobs, paying up to 90-thousand dollars a year in a parish where 30% of people live in poverty,” Campbell said.
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