The Daily Dig
Meta will invest more than $50 billion in its Richland Parish, Louisiana data center and the surrounding region. The announcement marks a sharp jump from the project's original scope. Meta committed $10 billion to the site in 2024 and raised that figure to $27 billion by October. The new total more than doubles that number again.
Turner Construction, Mortenson, and DPR Construction are all serving as general contractors on the project, a structure in place since the original 2024 contract award. Meta says the expansion was shaped around business needs, and that all three firms were involved in planning.
With the added scope, the facility will reach nearly 10 million square feet and 5 gigawatts of IT capacity. That makes it the largest data center in Meta's global fleet. The project is expected to support 7,500 construction jobs at peak construction, according to Louisiana Economic Development.
Louisiana is one of four pilot locations for Meta's $115 million America's Workforce Academy. The program provides skilled trades training and job opportunities tied to data center construction. Meta is also covering the full cost of the energy, water, and related infrastructure the facility will use. That includes an agreement with Entergy Louisiana, under which Meta will fund seven new natural gas fueled generating plants, roughly 240 miles of new 500 kV transmission lines, and battery energy storage across three locations.
Data center construction has driven much of the building industry's growth in 2026. It has posted gains across nearly every measurable metric while the rest of the sector has lagged behind. That momentum is now running alongside growing pushback in some markets. Meta's announcement came one day before New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statewide moratorium on environmental permits for data centers, the first such action in the country. Hochul cited strain on utility bills tied to data center demand.
Snapshot:
Owner: Meta
Location: Richland Parish, Louisiana
Sector: Data center / AI infrastructure
General Contractors: Turner Construction, Mortenson, DPR Construction
Total Investment: More than $50 billion, up from $10 billion in 2024 and $27 billion in October
Facility Size: Nearly 10 million square feet
IT Capacity: 5 gigawatts
Groundbreaking: December 2024
Peak Construction Jobs: 7,500
Workforce Program: America's Workforce Academy, $115 million, Louisiana one of four pilot locations
Energy Partner: Entergy Louisiana
New Energy Infrastructure: Seven natural gas fueled generating plants, approximately 240 miles of new 500 kV transmission lines, battery energy storage across three locations
TheJobWalk Thoughts
Three national GCs sharing one job site is a structure worth understanding, not questioning. Turner's scope is limited to the primary AI data center buildings, while DPR and Mortenson cover other parts of the campus. Subs bidding this site should expect distinct procurement tracks tied to each firm's scope rather than one unified bid process.
The transmission line work is the scope worth chasing outside the campus fence. At 240 miles of new 500 kV line, heavy civil and utility contractors far from Richland Parish could see bid opportunities tied to this project without ever setting foot on the data center site itself.
New York's moratorium is the bigger signal here. Data center work has carried construction through 2026, but permitting risk is now shifting state by state. GCs building a pipeline around this sector should underwrite that risk market by market rather than assume every state will keep welcoming these projects the way Louisiana has.
