Meta Expands Hyperion Louisiana Campus to 5GW, Pushes Investment Past $50 Billion

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Meta's Hyperion campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, has been expanded from 2GW to 5GW, with total investment exceeding $50 billion — up from the original $10 billion plan announced in late 2024 [1][2] - Entergy Louisiana will build seven new natural gas plants, three grid-scale batteries, nuclear uprates, and more than 5,200 MW of additional generation capacity under a Phase II agreement signed in March 2026 [3][4] - The first 2GW phase is expected online by 2030; Meta has committed to matching 100% of site energy with 2.5GW of clean and renewable resources and is targeting LEED Gold certification [2][4] - Meta has invested over $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements and $1.6 billion in contracts to Louisiana businesses since groundbreaking began in early 2026 [2] - General contractors DPR Construction, Turner Construction, and Mortenson are building the campus, which will support 1,000 permanent jobs and 7,500+ peak construction workers

[2] Meta announced on July 13 that its Hyperion data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, will expand to 5 gigawatts of power capacity, more than doubling the original 2GW plan disclosed in late 2024. Total planned investment now exceeds $50 billion, making Hyperion — also known internally as Project Sucre — the largest single-site AI computing campus publicly announced by any hyperscaler [1] [2].

The nearly 4,000-acre site between Rayville and Delhi broke ground in January 2026 after the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved Entergy Louisiana's initial supply package in August 2025. A Phase II agreement between Meta and Entergy, signed March 27, 2026, covers more than 5,200 MW of additional generation, 500kV transmission lines, grid-scale battery storage, and nuclear uprates to serve the expanded campus [3] [4].

Meta's investment trajectory at the site has escalated rapidly. The company initially committed $10 billion for a 2GW campus in late 2024. By October 2025, a joint venture with Blue Owl Capital had valued the project's buildings and infrastructure at approximately $27 billion. The latest expansion to 5GW pushes the total above $50 billion [1] [2].

At 5GW, the campus would consume roughly the equivalent power of 4.2 million homes, a scale that analysts say transforms the facility from a conventional hyperscale data center into a regional grid-planning event [1].

Power & Grid Infrastructure #

Entergy Louisiana, the sole utility serving the campus, will construct seven new natural gas-fired power plants and three grid-scale battery systems to supply Hyperion under the Phase II agreement. The utility is also pursuing nuclear uprates and purchased power contracts to meet the expanded load [4].

Meta has committed to funding 2.5GW of new clean and renewable energy resources and approximately 240 miles of new transmission lines. The company says it will match 100% of the campus's energy consumption with renewable sources and is targeting LEED Gold certification for the facility [2] [4].

Entergy projects the arrangement will deliver $2.65 billion in savings to its broader customer base over 20 years, on top of $650 million in previously announced savings. The utility is also contributing $215 million toward residential affordability and energy-efficiency programs [2].

The Site #

Hyperion spans nearly 4,000 acres — roughly 6.25 square miles — in rural Richland Parish, northeast Louisiana. The campus is expected to encompass approximately 4 million square feet of building area at full buildout [3].

Three general contractors — DPR Construction, Turner Construction, and Mortenson Construction — are executing the build. Since construction mobilization began in early 2026, Meta reports that Louisiana-based businesses have received more than $1.6 billion in contracts [2].

Cooling will rely on river water and evaporative systems, though definitive water-withdrawal permits and environmental filings remain pending [3].

Economic Impact & Workforce #

Meta expects the expanded campus to support more than 1,000 permanent operational roles, up from an earlier estimate of 500, alongside more than 7,500 construction workers at peak activity. Positions will include electricians, HVAC technicians, engineers, server and network technicians, culinary staff, and security personnel [2].

The company has donated $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College — the largest gift in the school's history — to fund scholarships training local residents for data center careers. All graduates from Richland Parish high schools beginning with the class of 2026 are eligible for full scholarships covering data center-related trade certificates and courses [2].

The University of Louisiana at Monroe has reported a 37% year-over-year increase in construction management enrollment, a trend attributed to the Hyperion project. Richland Parish teacher bonuses in 2026 are 400% higher than in 2025, driven by expanded tax revenue from the campus [2].

Scale in Context #

At 5GW, Hyperion would represent a step change in single-campus data center scale. For comparison, the entire PJM Interconnection data center queue in Northern Virginia — the world's densest data center market — totals roughly 40GW across hundreds of facilities and operators. A single 5GW campus concentrates more than 12% of that demand on one site served by one utility [1].

Neil Osnato of Persistence Analytics Group told Data Center Knowledge that at this scale, the facility 'is no longer just a large data center. It becomes a regional infrastructure-planning event,' influencing generation planning, transmission expansion, reserve margins, fuel strategy, water planning, and equipment procurement across the region [1].

Meta's first 2GW phase is expected to reach operational capacity by 2030. The company has not disclosed a completion timeline for the full 5GW buildout [2].

Market Context #

Meta shares (NASDAQ: META) traded at $656.95 on July 14, up roughly 16% over the past month. The stock has a market capitalization of approximately $1.67 trillion [5].

The Hyperion expansion comes as hyperscalers compete aggressively for power capacity across the U.S. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Oracle have all announced multi-gigawatt campus plans in 2025 and 2026, driving record backlogs for gas turbines, transformers, and high-voltage switchgear. Meta's decision to fund dedicated generation assets through Entergy reflects a broader industry shift toward utility co-investment models to bypass constrained interconnection queues [1].