RICHLAND PARISH — Louisiana is on track to become home to the largest data center in the world after Meta announced an expansion of its massive Richland Parish project Monday.

Gov. Jeff Landry and leaders from Richland Parish made the announcement, saying the data center has already grown the local economy and brought jobs to the rural parish even though it is still under construction.

"It's going to create 7,500 construction jobs, more than 1,000 permanent jobs, nearly 1,900 additional indirect jobs," Landry said.

Meta has increased its total investment in the center to more than $50 billion. Landry says that commitment has led to job growth in Richland Parish and other business opportunities across the state.

"We're not selling anything. We're giving hope. We're giving an opportunity. We're creating economic progress that this state has never seen," Landry said.

But critics say many of those jobs are temporary and that the cost of water usage and power for large data centers like Meta's is often not factored into the economic picture.

Alaina DiLaura, who works with the Alliance for Affordable Energy, said her organization remains concerned that the Meta data center will increase power usage and could drive up costs and residents' power bills.

"Today's announcement actually raises more questions," DiLaura said.

Her organization advocates for affordable rates and renewable energy. DiLaura said the financial impact would not be limited to one area.

"The cost of the project is spread across residents. It's not just residents in Richland Parish. It's all Entergy Louisiana customers that bear the brunt of this project," DiLaura said.

The governor responded to those concerns, saying, "It's easy to sell fear." He said other states were not prepared for the infrastructure demands when large data centers were built there and that Meta is willing to invest in local infrastructure to ensure Louisiana residents are not left paying the bill.

The Richland Parish data center is expected to be fully operational by 2030.