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Louisiana received back to back Platinum Deal of the Year awards that marked a defining moment in the state’s economic trajectory and signaled a new era of national competitiveness. Being recognized by Business Facilities for two consecutive years, first for the Meta AI data center and now for Hyundai Steel’s $5.8 billion ultra low carbon steel mill in Ascension Parish places Louisiana in unprecedented company. These achievements reflect not only record setting capital investment and job creation, but also a fundamental shift in how Louisiana is perceived by global investors: as a state that can deliver large scale, complex projects through strong leadership, coordinated public-private partnerships, and a workforce prepared for advanced manufacturing and technology-driven industries.
The broader economic data reinforces this momentum. With more than $61 billion in capital investment and over 9,300 direct new jobs in 2025 alone averaging salaries of $91,000 Louisiana has posted the strongest year in its history. Recent announcements spanning steel, AI data centers, maritime defense manufacturing, critical minerals, digital infrastructure, and energy related manufacturing demonstrate both diversification and depth. These wins are not isolated successes; they represent a sustained pipeline of high wage, high impact projects choosing Louisiana because of its improving business climate, strategic assets, and growing reputation for execution at scale.
This success however, brings with it an urgent and unavoidable reality, Louisiana already uses more power than it generates. Louisiana must power this growth without increasing cost for residential consumers. Demand from steelmaking, AI data centers, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure requires large amounts of reliable, utility grade electricity now, not years from now. With supplier backlogs pushing new natural gas generation timelines out as much as five years, an “all-of-the-above” power policy is no longer optional; it is essential. Alternative utility scale generation and storage solutions can be brought online years faster, strengthening reliability and resilience while supporting economic expansion. If Louisiana is to sustain this new era of competitiveness and continue winning nationally, aligning energy policy with economic development by accelerating diverse, utility grade power solutions must be a top priority.
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