Amazon Adds $6 Billion, a Third Shreveport Data Center Campus
SHREVEPORT, La. — Amazon is putting a lot more money behind its bet on northwest Louisiana. The company announced plans to invest an additional $6 billion in its data center campuses across the region, pushing its total planned investment to $18 billion less than six months after its first Louisiana data center announcement in February.
The new money funds a third campus at Resilient Technology Park in Shreveport, joining the two facilities already under construction in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. Louisiana Economic Development projects the expansion alone will create 210 direct jobs and 499 additional indirect jobs, bringing the total potential job count across all three campuses to roughly 2,500 positions.
What the Expanded Investment Means for Local Jobs
Between the original announcement and this expansion, Amazon is now expected to support up to 750 direct jobs across its three Louisiana campuses. Louisiana Economic Development estimates an additional 1,784 indirect jobs will follow at local vendors and support-service businesses across the Northwest Region.
STACK Infrastructure, the developer building and operating the campuses for Amazon, expects the full three-campus project to support up to 2,250 construction jobs. Positions tied to the buildout and eventual operations include electricians, HVAC technicians, project engineers, network specialists, operations managers and security specialists. Amazon says it plans to launch workforce development programs with local technical colleges and community organizations to help prepare residents for those roles.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry framed the expansion as a sign of how the initial project has performed. “When one of the world’s largest companies chooses to deepen its commitment this early, it demonstrates confidence in our workers, our business environment and our ability to execute,” Landry said in the announcement.
A Third Campus at a Site With a Complicated History
The Resilient Technology Park site was the location that first drew Amazon to Shreveport, but it wasn’t included in the company’s initial $12 billion commitment because of pending litigation over a special use permit. A Caddo Parish judge cleared that legal hurdle in April, dismissing a challenge from plaintiffs who had sought judicial review after the city’s Planning Commission initially blocked the project. With the site now clear, Amazon is moving forward with what officials describe as a third interconnected campus, extending the company’s footprint across Caddo and Bossier Parishes.
Amazon Director of Data Center Supply Solutions Keith Klein said the company intends to keep the same commitments in place for the new campus that it made for the first two. “Amazon pays its own way, and the communities where we operate will be better off because we’re there,” Klein said. “Increasing our planned investment to $18 billion means more good jobs for the region and more opportunities for local businesses.”
How Amazon Is Handling Power and Water Costs
Amazon says the Northwest Louisiana campuses are designed to rely on air cooling for most of the year, turning to water-based cooling only when temperatures climb above roughly 85 degrees, a threshold the company expects to hit less than 13% of the year in the region. The company plans to invest up to $400 million in public water infrastructure across all three campuses and says it will fund all required water and wastewater improvements itself.
On the power side, Amazon is working with Southwestern Electric Power Company to fully fund the new energy infrastructure and grid upgrades the data centers require, a structure intended to keep those costs off existing ratepayers’ bills. SWEPCO President and COO Brett Mattison said the utility is prepared to support the added load while protecting current customers. “We’re ready to serve and ready to deliver the reliable energy our communities need to support new investment while protecting existing customers from the costs of that growth,” Mattison said.
The arrangement echoes a framework Governor Landry formalized in June with the Louisiana Ratepayer and Community Protection Initiative, an executive order directing state agencies to set standards ensuring large-load projects like data centers fund their own infrastructure needs rather than passing costs on to Louisiana households.
Community Investment Since the First Announcement
Since the February announcement, Amazon has awarded nearly $500,000 through the Amazon Northwest Louisiana Community Fund to 46 local nonprofits, schools and community members, supporting priorities including food assistance, transitional housing, and youth robotics and education programs.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called the expanded investment a vote of confidence in the city. “This means more jobs, more opportunity for local businesses and another major step forward for our economy,” Arceneaux said. North Louisiana Economic Partnership President and CEO Justyn Dixon said the scale of the commitment reaches well beyond the three campuses themselves, pointing to construction activity and opportunities for local companies throughout the region.
What Happens Next for Northwest Louisiana
Louisiana businesses interested in construction and vendor opportunities tied to the project can register through Source Louisiana, a state platform designed to connect in-state companies with major economic development projects. Amazon is also directing job seekers to sign up for notifications about hiring events and openings as the campuses move toward operation.
The expansion adds to what state officials describe as a historic run of investment since Landry took office, with Louisiana now having secured nearly $160 billion in capital commitments statewide. Amazon’s project is one of several hyperscale data center developments now underway or announced in Louisiana, alongside Meta’s Richland Parish campus, which grew to a $50 billion project earlier this year. State regulators and lawmakers are watching those projects closely as they work out how much of the infrastructure cost falls on the companies building them versus the ratepayers living near them.
You May Also Like...
- Amazon Picks Louisiana for $12 Billion Data Center Project
- Meta's Richland Parish Data Center Is Now a $50 Billion Project
- Entergy Says New Agreement With Meta Will Save Louisiana Ratepayers Billions
- Facebook Parent Company Meta Announces $10 Billion AI Data Center in Louisiana
- It's Happening: Louisiana Is Close to Landing SpaceX's Next Rocket Launch Site
6 Car Issues That Will Get You Pulled Over in Louisiana
Gallery Credit: Joe Cunningham
