Louisiana's AI buildout had its most public week yet. On Monday, Oct. 5, Hut 8 showed off its River Bend data center in West Feliciana Parish, and on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Entergy Louisiana opened a multiday regulatory hearing on the power plants it wants to build for Meta's Hyperion campus in Richland Parish. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026) The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) Together they spotlight four big AI campuses now taking shape across the state, and one question that runs through all of them: who pays for the power.
Axios New Orleans reported that Hut 8's project is one of four in-the-works data center projects touted by Louisiana Economic Development, and listed the others as an Amazon facility in Shreveport, Applied Digital's center in Rapides Parish and Meta's Hyperion project in Richland Parish. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026) Here is where each stands, based on the most recent reporting and official announcements.
River Bend: first to switch on
Hut 8's $10 billion River Bend project near St. Francisville is part of a partnership with Fluidstack and Anthropic, which Axios reported will operate and use the center's computing power. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026) About 1,200 construction workers are working around the clock to bring it online by the first quarter of 2027, and while it appears on track to be the first of the four to turn the lights on, it is not the largest. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026)
"This first building is 330 megawatts. It's not the largest campus in the world," Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot told Axios. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026) The site includes a substation and switchyard to manage Entergy Louisiana power and isolate the data center from the regional grid, and Hut 8 says a closed-loop system using 1.5 million gallons of propylene glycol will cool it without drawing on local water. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026) Hut 8 anticipates about 75 full-time jobs after construction. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026)
Hyperion: the giant, and the fight over its power
Meta's Richland Parish campus dwarfs the others. At this week's hearing, Entergy CEO Phillip May disclosed for the first time that Meta will use 4,500 megawatts, roughly four times the power used by the city of New Orleans, and May has said the overall expansion brings the cost of Meta's data center to $50 billion. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)
Entergy's settlement with Public Service Commission staff would let it build seven new gas-fired power plants, three battery storage systems and other infrastructure without the bid process typically required to make sure the utility picks the lowest-cost option. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) "We are in a power-first world where speed to power is what will drive who wins economic opportunity for their communities," May said at the hearing. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)
Opponents, including the Alliance for Affordable Energy, the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists, warn that residents could be left paying for unneeded power if Meta leaves at the end of its 20-year contract. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) The Advocate reported that three of the plants would be depreciated over 32 years, meaning customers could be on the hook for several billion dollars if Meta leaves after 20 years; Entergy argues the system would still need those plants because of retirements in coming decades. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) Asked whether Entergy had examined critics' argument that data centers are being overbuilt, May said, "I don't know that we have exactly looked into that," while noting that Meta earns revenue from sources unrelated to AI. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) Chief Administrative Law Judge Melanie Verzwyvelt is overseeing the case, and the elected commission will vote later this year. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)
Delta Forge 1: Central Louisiana's bet
In Rapides Parish, Applied Digital is developing a $3.6 billion AI campus called Delta Forge 1, which will initially include two facilities totaling 300 megawatts of critical IT load on about 300 acres. Louisiana Economic Development, "Central Louisiana Secures $3.6 Billion Applied Digital AI Factory Campus" (May 26, 2026) Site development began in January 2026, with initial operations expected in mid-2027. Louisiana Economic Development, "Central Louisiana Secures $3.6 Billion Applied Digital AI Factory Campus" (May 26, 2026) The state projects 200 direct jobs paying 150% of the state average wage, more than 1,000 construction jobs at peak and 218 indirect jobs. Louisiana Economic Development, "Central Louisiana Secures $3.6 Billion Applied Digital AI Factory Campus" (May 26, 2026) Cleco will supply the power, and Cleco CEO Bill Fontenot called it "the largest economic development opportunity in Cleco's 90-plus year history." Louisiana Economic Development, "Central Louisiana Secures $3.6 Billion Applied Digital AI Factory Campus" (May 26, 2026) Like Hut 8, Applied Digital plans closed-loop cooling. Louisiana Economic Development, "Central Louisiana Secures $3.6 Billion Applied Digital AI Factory Campus" (May 26, 2026)
Northwest Louisiana: Amazon's $18 billion
In August, Amazon raised its planned Northwest Louisiana data center investment by $6 billion to $18 billion, adding a third campus at Resilient Technology Park in Shreveport, BIZ Magazine reported. BIZ Magazine, "Cover Feature: The AI Economy Arrives" (Sept. 2, 2026) The three campuses, developed and owned by STACK Infrastructure, are expected to create up to 750 direct jobs. BIZ Magazine, "Cover Feature: The AI Economy Arrives" (Sept. 2, 2026) Amazon says it will pay 100% of the costs of new energy infrastructure and grid upgrades for its data centers, plans to spend up to $400 million on public water infrastructure, and will rely mainly on air cooling, using water when temperatures exceed about 85 degrees. BIZ Magazine, "Cover Feature: The AI Economy Arrives" (Sept. 2, 2026)
The region also shows how the boom reaches beyond server halls: SLB's data center infrastructure operation in the former General Motors plant in Shreveport now covers 3.1 million square feet and employs nearly 1,800 people, according to the company. BIZ Magazine, "Cover Feature: The AI Economy Arrives" (Sept. 2, 2026)
The common thread: 'growth should pay for growth'
Every project's backers say the data center, not the ratepayer, will cover the cost of power. Gov. Jeff Landry signed the Louisiana Ratepayer and Community Protection Initiative in June, saying it requires "power-intensive companies" to "fully fund the generation, transmission and infrastructure needed to serve them." KSLA/KNOE, "Gov. Landry signs executive order, addresses AI data centers" (June 25, 2026) The order makes paying for their own power a condition of the state's data center tax break, and developers have so far claimed $39 million in sales tax rebates through that program, a figure expected to grow into the billions, according to state revenue data obtained by The Advocate. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) SWEPCO's president put the principle as "growth should pay for growth" when Amazon expanded in August. BIZ Magazine, "Cover Feature: The AI Economy Arrives" (Sept. 2, 2026)
The Meta hearing is the first real test of whether those promises hold up on paper. Four of the five commissioners have previously supported Entergy's plans for Meta, while Commissioner Davante Lewis has raised concerns about who pays at the end of the contract. The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)
What to watch
Jobs may be the harder test. Landry told Axios that filling data center jobs is "the Achilles heel in all this," while saying 70% of them do not require a four-year degree. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026) In Shreveport, Bossier Parish Community College and Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College are among the schools training workers through the EMPWR LA program. BIZ Magazine, "Cover Feature: The AI Economy Arrives" (Sept. 2, 2026)
Next up: River Bend's first data hall in early 2027, Delta Forge 1 in mid-2027, and the commission's vote on Entergy's Meta plan later this year. Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026) Louisiana Economic Development, "Central Louisiana Secures $3.6 Billion Applied Digital AI Factory Campus" (May 26, 2026) The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)
Evidence Used
- Axios New Orleans, "First look: Hut 8's under-construction Louisiana data center" (Oct. 7, 2026)
- The Advocate, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)
- Louisiana Economic Development, "Central Louisiana Secures $3.6 Billion Applied Digital AI Factory Campus" (May 26, 2026)
- BIZ Magazine, "Cover Feature: The AI Economy Arrives" (Sept. 2, 2026)
- KSLA/KNOE, "Gov. Landry signs executive order, addresses AI data centers" (June 25, 2026)