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Case File · Richland Parish, Louisiana
Governor Landry and Meta announced the Hyperion AI data center campus on December 4, 2024: 2,250 acres in Richland Parish, up to 4 million sq ft. Meta committed $10 billion in capex. Entergy Louisiana separately filed at the LPSC for 5.2 GW of new gas generation and 240 miles of 500-kV transmission to serve it.
Site work began December 2024. Construction continues through the decade. Meta reports $875M+ in year-one Louisiana contracts.
$10B
Meta Capex
$27B+
Program Total
2,250 ac
Acreage
5.2 GW
Generation
240 mi
Transmission
78/100
RealClear Score
Richland Parish · December 2024 — Present
Rural recruitment, gubernatorial sponsorship, and a state utility buildout large enough to reshape Louisiana's power mix.
December 4, 2024
Gov. Landry and Meta announce $10B Hyperion campus
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Meta announce a $10 billion AI-focused data center campus in Richland Parish. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) confirms the project as one of the largest private investments in state history, targeting 2,250 acres in the rural northeast parish.
December 2024
Site work begins on the Hyperion parcel
Meta confirms site work begins in December 2024. The company's newsroom and LED materials describe an initial 4 million sq ft build-out with construction continuing through the end of the decade.
2025
Entergy Louisiana files for 5.2 GW of new generation
Entergy Louisiana petitions the Louisiana Public Service Commission for approval of three new combined-cycle combustion turbine units totaling approximately 2,260 MW, combined with additional gas capacity and 240 miles of new 500-kV transmission to serve the Hyperion load. The package is framed as 'load-serving' for the Meta site.
Mid-2025
Sierra Club and Alliance for Affordable Energy intervene at LPSC
Environmental and ratepayer-advocate intervenors seek to challenge how much of the generation and transmission cost should be allocated to Meta versus spread across all Entergy Louisiana ratepayers. Filings argue the scale of gas build-out is tied to a single customer.
Mid-2025
Meta purchases additional ~1,400 acres for expansion
Data Center Dynamics reports Meta purchased additional acreage adjacent to the original parcel, expanding the campus footprint. Subsequent reporting frames the full program at up to 4 million sq ft once built out.
Late 2025
Total program cost including generation reported at $27B+
Engineering News-Record and Data Center Dynamics report the total program — Meta's $10B capital commitment plus the Entergy generation and transmission build — has climbed past $27 billion as LPSC filings detail the ratepayer-funded infrastructure needed to serve the campus.
December 2025
Meta reports $875M in year-one Louisiana contract spend
Meta's newsroom reports the Richland Parish project has already generated over $875 million in contracts to Louisiana businesses in its first year of construction, framing the economic case for continued state support.
Ongoing 2026
Construction continues through planned 2030 build-out
Construction proceeds with Phase 1 buildings underway. Entergy generation packages remain under LPSC review; Meta continues to file additional land acquisition and parcel work in the Parish.
The People Who Shaped This Case
Every actor shown here has a documented role in state filings, LED materials, or LPSC proceedings.
Jeff Landry
Governor of Louisiana
Documented Record
Announced the Meta Hyperion deal in December 2024 alongside Meta executives and LED, characterizing it as a transformational investment in rural Louisiana.
The governor's public sponsorship locked state economic-development resources behind the project early. Without that top-cover, a 2,250-acre rural campus would face a much harder state-level path.
Susan Bourgeois
Secretary, Louisiana Economic Development
Documented Record
LED led the project's incentive structuring and has publicly confirmed the Richland Parish campus in LED announcements and reporting.
LED's active role meant the state's discretionary incentive toolkit was deployed early — a meaningful pre-filing signal for any similar Louisiana siting analysis.
Phillip May
President & CEO, Entergy Louisiana
Documented Record
Entergy Louisiana filed for approval of new combined-cycle gas generation and 500-kV transmission at the LPSC to serve the Hyperion load.
Entergy's decision to pair the Meta contract with a state-ratepayer-supported generation buildout is the fault line of this case. Whether the LPSC allocates costs narrowly to Meta or broadly to ratepayers drives the long-term politics.
Foster Campbell
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner (District 5)
Documented Record
District 5 covers northeast Louisiana including Richland Parish. Campbell has historically scrutinized large utility capital filings and is expected to be a key LPSC voice on cost allocation between Meta and ratepayers.
The LPSC's decision on who pays for the 5.2 GW buildout — Meta or ratepayers — is the single largest open political question around the project. Commissioner posture on cost allocation matters more than most people realize.
Logan Burke
Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Energy
Documented Record
Alliance for Affordable Energy filed intervenor comments with the LPSC challenging how Entergy allocates the cost of the Hyperion-driven generation package across residential ratepayers.
The Alliance is the most active consumer-advocate voice at the LPSC. Their intervention does not threaten the campus itself but does threaten the margin structure if cost allocation is pushed more squarely onto Meta.
Intervenor Intelligence
It's over the 5.2 GW of new gas generation Entergy wants to build to serve it — and who pays for it.
Alliance for Affordable Energy
Louisiana consumer-advocate organization · Interventions at LPSC
Alliance for Affordable Energy has filed intervenor comments at the LPSC challenging how the Hyperion-driven generation and transmission buildout is allocated between Meta and residential ratepayers. Their arguments focus on whether load-serving for a single hyperscale customer justifies ratepayer cost exposure.
Sierra Club — Louisiana Chapter
Environmental organization · Focus on gas-generation buildout
Sierra Club Louisiana has publicly pressed the LPSC on the climate and air-quality implications of approving ~2.26 GW of new combined-cycle gas generation plus additional gas capacity in a single docket. The intervention does not target the campus itself but shapes the cost and timing of the generation that serves it.
What RealClear Sees
Strong tailwinds at the parish and state level. Real risk sits at the LPSC, not the planning commission.
Site Analysis
Meta Platforms — Hyperion Campus
Richland Parish, LA · 2,250 acres · $10B Meta commitment
Tailwinds
Risks Still in Play
Source Documentation
Every figure on this page comes from a primary-source filing, LED announcement, Meta corporate disclosure, or contemporaneous reporting.
This Is Entitlement Research
RealClear analyzes rural data-center sites the way Richland Parish was analyzed — LED posture, state utility dockets, intervenor landscape, cost-allocation risk. Before you commit to the site.
Cited research summary · Not legal advice · Verify independently before making investment decisions
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