'A Black Hole of Energy Use': Meta's Massive AI Data Center Is Stressing Out a Louisiana Community.

Innovation inevitably brings risks of a rather substantial nature. Progress has always stepped on some toes, and it will do so again in the future, but it is critical to emphasize the difference between choices made for the greater good and decisions made to satisfy the desires of the wealthiest. Where the demolition of an old playground may cause bitterness and melancholy, the construction of a four-million-square-foot data center in the middle of a rural town accustomed to peace and quiet, and soon forced to indirectly finance the project, is bound to cause more visceral reactions.

Holly Ridge, a U.S. community in the state of Louisiana, will soon be swamped by construction works to build Meta's data center, described as “large enough to cover a significant portion of Manhattan,” three new gas power plants subsidized by Meta, and a transmission line to power them.

Meta said it will invest $200 million for local roads and new water infrastructure, corroborating political propaganda that the project will be an “economic blessing” for the community. However, no one seems to have mentioned how the data center's electricity consumption will, in part, be paid for by members of the town.