Amazon is preparing to break ground on a $12‑billion network of data center campuses in northwest Louisiana, a project state officials describe as one of the largest economic investments in the region’s history. The multi‑site effort spans Caddo and Bossier parishes and marks the company’s first data center footprint in the state.
The project, announced by Louisiana Economic Development, will be delivered in partnership with STACK Infrastructure, which is serving as developer, owner and contractor for the campuses. Construction is expected to begin in March, with phased operations supporting Amazon Web Services’ cloud and artificial intelligence workloads.
STACK estimates the program will generate 1,500 temporary construction jobs, drawing from local contractors and skilled trades across electrical, mechanical, HVAC and related fields. Once operational, the campuses are projected to support 540 full‑time on‑site jobs and an additional 1,700 indirect jobs across the region.
Amazon has committed to funding all required power infrastructure, including new energy facilities, substations, transmission lines and grid upgrades in coordination with Southwestern Electric Power Co. The company also plans to invest up to $400 million in local water infrastructure and has pledged to limit water use at the campuses.
The state’s incentive package includes eligibility for Louisiana’s High Impact Jobs program, the Data Center Sales Tax Exemption and workforce training support through LED FastStart.
At the announcement event in Shreveport, Gov. Jeff Landry (R) called the project a demonstration of Louisiana’s competitive position in the data center market, describing it as the region’s largest economic development initiative to date.
Investments of this magnitude place Louisiana “at the center of operations relied on across the country,” he said.
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Outside the announcement, however, protesters gathered at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, raising concerns about water use, environmental impacts and long‑term economic effects. Community organizer Paytan Rayne told the Shreveport Times that the project could cause “economic and environmental harm” and place “an extreme strain on water resources and utilities.”
The Louisiana project comes as communities across the country intensify opposition to large data center proposals. In New Brunswick, N.J., the city council canceled a planned facility earlier this month after sustained public protests. In San Marcos, Texas, a $1.5‑billion proposal was rejected by the city council days later, following hours of testimony and large demonstrations. Those decisions mirror a broader trend, including Microsoft’s withdrawal from a Wisconsin site in 2025 and Amazon’s cancellation of a proposed data center in Louisa County, Va., that same year following local opposition and land‑use concerns.
Broader reports indicate at least 25 U.S. data center projects were canceled in 2025 alone due to local pushback, contributing to billions in blocked investments nationwide.
Source: www.enr.com
