"Hyperion, the world's soon-to-be largest data center, is being built in Richmond Parish, Louisiana"
Posted on 07/14/2026 11:15:28 AM PDT by DFG
A quiet Louisiana parish is set to become home to the world's largest data center, stirring unease among residents.
Tech giant Meta announced Monday it is expanding its massive Hyperion data center in Richland Parish to five gigawatts of computing power, increasing its investment in the project to $50 billion.
Local leaders hailed the project, saying it has already boosted the economy and created hundreds of jobs despite still being under construction.
Governor Jeff Landry said the data center construction has ignited 'economic progress' the state has never seen before.
'It's going to create 7,500 construction jobs, more than 1,000 permanent jobs, nearly 1,900 additional indirect jobs,' Landry said, WBRZ reported.
Since breaking ground on the project in December 2024, Meta said it has awarded more than $1.6 billion in contracts to Louisiana businesses.
The company also touted the increased tax revenues from the data center helped fund teacher bonuses of up to $50,000 in Richland Parish - a 400 percent jump from last year.
'It’s life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it’s transforming our schools,' Richland Parish’s School District Superintendent said in a statement.
'Meta’s investment has made Richland Parish a destination for education as well as industry,' they added.
Some residents are pushing back on the project, arguing that construction jobs will fade once the facility is complete and that the heavy water and power demands of data centers are not fully considered.
Alaina DiLaura, who works with the Alliance for Affordable Energy, told the outlet the announcement 'raises more questions.'
DiLaura said her organization is concerned about the data center’s energy needs, and how it could lead to higher power bills for residents, with financial impacts reaching far beyond the parish.
'The cost of the project is spread across residents,' she told the outlet.
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"Hyperion, the world's soon-to-be largest data center, is being built in Richmond Parish, Louisiana"
By “Quiet” do they actually mean “impoverished?”
Near Vicksburg, Mississippi
Its OK to be “on edge.” But if this is planned correctly, its going to be a bonanza for the parish. They have to make sure the utility, road and other infrastructure is in place or is built as part of the development. But if they do, its going to work out well for everyone.
Sounds like a lot of this is sudden infusion of cash that will eventually go away. What will the newly enriched businesses do then?
NIMBY strikes again.
Once it’s built it will employ no more than 50 people and half of those will be security.
Yeah, build it in one of the hottest, humidity places on earth where it can be submerged in salt water or blown to smithereens at any given moment for 6 months of the year. Why not build the damn things in Alaska where it’s naturally cold and there’s plenty of ice that can be melted for all the water it needs? Do I have to think of EVERYthing?
👍👍👍
Bingo. They will regret the decision to have this built.
LOL!
Richland Parish (County) is in NORTHERN Louisiana. No chance of salt water submersion or massive hurricane damage. Not that there aren’t other issues, but that ain’t two of them...
If the teachers weren't raging leftists I might count this as a good thing.
Oh. Well, that's very different. Never mind.
Cheers!
I invested one-tenth of one cent worth of black electrical tape to cover the cameras of my cellphone and Windows PC.
I think the Casinos already promised this when they moved in. I personally think this is a good thing, Louisiana needs as much industry as they can get they are dirt poor but they are eat up with NG, plenty of water to feed it so build it.
Lots of rice plantations in Richland parish.
Cutline is wrong, there is no Richmond Parish in Louisiana.
Tornadoes flung off from hurricanes are a possibility.
There’s a long history of dumping poison and waste in southern Louisiana, where the poor people are. Dumping a data center there is more of the same.
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