By Louisiana Economic Development
Louisiana’s Certified Sites program has a proud history of connecting companies with development-ready land that has optimal access to superior infrastructure.
But until December, when Meta announced a 4 million-square-foot artificial intelligence data center for former farmland in rural northeast Louisiana, there had never been a more pivotal turn of events for the Certified Sites program. Once envisioned as a site for automotive assembly or manufacturing, the bombshell announcement injected new hope into a farming community that has experienced few wins over the years.
None were more surprised than Scott Franklin, whose great-great-grandfather George Franklin acquired the farmland around the turn of the century.
“We were blessed with the ability to grow a lot of things on that land,” Franklin said of the 1,440-acre site in Richland Parish. “We didn’t know that the best crop was going to be data.”
Now an area long blessed with rich soil and abundant water perfect for agrarian life is positioned to become an economic powerhouse ready to compete for jobs and a future for the region’s children. The $10 billion investment with at least 500 jobs paying upwards of $80,000 in annual salaries is like nothing Richland Parish has seen before. And for a parish where per capita income is $26,762, seeing one of the world’s largest tech companies investing is an astonishing development.
“Nobody ever thought we’d live to see it happen,” said Delhi Mayor Jesse Washington. “We didn’t get an automotive plant, but it seems like we got something better. A company like that coming, it’s going to bring a whole new light over the town of Delhi.”
Louisiana has always had strong transportation infrastructure to help lure in new companies and those looking to expand:
- Six class 1 railroads
- 15 interstate highways
- #2 Port in the Western Hemisphere for most tons of cargo
- 6 deep draft ports
- And 5 of the top 15 U.S. ports for combined foreign and domestic imports and exports are in Louisiana
But despite Louisiana’s well-earned and historic reputation as a maritime hub, there are many rural areas that do not directly benefit from water access. You can see that in towns like Delhi, which is one of two small towns near the Meta data center site.
With a population of about 2,600, most of downtown life surrounds the fire station, the town hall, the pizza joint, the storefront church and the landmark E.W. Thompson Drug Store, where you can still order ice cream floats from chrome-rimmed stools at an old-fashioned lunch counter.
With the arrival of Meta, local and regional officials are thinking bigger: Modern housing and amenities for new workers and their families is a top priority.
“This is a nice place to raise your family. We have a pretty good school system — that’s one thing everyone looks at,” Delhi Mayor Washington said. “I believe this is the spark that will drive it.”
The idea of creating a megasite on Richland Parish farmland goes as far back as 2002, when economic development officials became convinced that “the only thing that would ever change our region would be automotive.”
Soon after those conversations began, Louisiana’s utility, Entergy, hired a national site selector to evaluate the land. Due diligence efforts uncovered no major issues and after 2006 economic development officials began meeting with automotive manufacturers. But those efforts were slowgoing.
“For various reasons, Franklin Farm was always the bridesmaid but never the bride,” Amanda Edge, who worked in economic development at Entergy and served on the Northeast Economic Development Alliance board, said. “We knew it would take a special project. Sometimes fresh ideas are exactly what a region needs to start thriving.”
Edge kept leading the charge, casting the lines, testing the waters. Then in February 2024, state officials learned a fish – a very big one – was biting.
Meta was in the market for a massive new data center, and they needed a few key things: Access to plentiful electricity, a big piece of land and a sales tax exemption on equipment. Louisiana was immediately attractive because it had the certified site, the lowest industrial electricity prices in the nation, and Louisiana Economic Development officials moved quickly in the spring to urge Louisiana Legislators to enact a tax rebate (later changed to an exemption) on data center equipment and software.
“I often say that capital flows where it is treated best,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said during the event announcing Meta. “This project is an example of what Louisiana can accomplish when economic development partners play offense rather than waiting for good projects to come to them.”
Louisiana’s Certified Sites Program is part of that commitment. Home to more than 125 certified sites, the program qualifies industrial and business sites for use based on zoning restrictions, title work, environmental studies, soil analysis and surveys. The sites undergo substantial due diligence studies to receive certification.
LED also works closely with other agencies and utility providers to ensure companies get the access they need. In Meta’s case, Entergy had already scouted sites for power plants in anticipation of a potential automotive assembly or manufacturing plant. The utility is now ready to add new, efficient power plants to its system to meet growing power demands, including from the data center.
“By supporting this transformational investment, we are not only delivering the energy needed today, but also building the infrastructure that will support a brighter, more sustainable future for all of Louisiana,” Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May said. “Together, we’re laying the foundation for economic growth that will benefit generations to come.”
As unimaginable as Meta was over the nearly 20 years since the state acquired the site, it may be hard now for Northeast Louisiana residents to fully grasp how much the investment will drive in indirect economic activity. The creation of 500 direct jobs is substantial, Edge said, but so is what will come from construction and ongoing operations.
“The presence of a major tech company like Meta can attract other businesses and industries to the region, fostering a more diverse and resilient economy,” Edge said. “For young people, this project could mean the difference between staying in their hometowns and seeking opportunities elsewhere. The availability of high-quality jobs in a cutting-edge industry like tech can provide a compelling reason to remain in the region, close to family and friends.”
But overall, Edge said, the project has served as a “beacon of hope” for those that had felt left behind or forgotten.
“People are talking about the pride they feel in seeing their community recognized and invested in by a global company,” Edge said. “There’s a palpable sense of optimism and a belief that this could be the start of a new chapter for northeast Louisiana, one where the region’s potential is fully realized and its residents can look forward to a brighter future.”
