Is a data center coming to Livingston Parish? As of Oct. 7, no project has been announced. But the parish president now says he expects one eventually, and the question of who has signed secrecy agreements has gotten more complicated in the past month.

Quick definitions. A nondisclosure agreement (NDA), sometimes called a confidentiality agreement, is a contract in which officials agree not to share details of a prospective business deal. Rezoning changes what a piece of land can legally be used for, such as residential or industrial. A special use permit is case-by-case approval that a project needs even when the zoning allows its general type.

What the parish president has said

On Sept. 1, after online reports said a data center deal was in the works, Parish President Randy Delatte said, "Let me be clear: I have not signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding any business coming to Livingston Parish." He added, "To my knowledge, no locally elected official in Livingston Parish has signed one regarding a business coming here," WBRZ reported. He said water, power, drainage, roads and emergency services would all need to be addressed before any deal, and that residents would need protection from having a project's utility costs passed on to them.

A month later, his outlook was different. "I do believe that a data plant will be here in the next 5 to 10 years," Delatte told WAFB on Oct. 1. He said five to seven companies are in talks with the parish, without saying whether any of them involve a data center. He again said he has not signed an NDA and that he would announce any project himself.

Who has signed something

In the same WAFB report, Councilman Ricky Goff said he signed a confidentiality agreement, adding, "I believe it fits into the master plan." WAFB did not report what business the agreement covers.

Delatte also told WAFB that the Livingston Parish Economic Development Council, a separate economic development group, signed an NDA with one of the businesses it met on a trade delegation to Ireland. Melody Lockwood of the council defended the practice to WAFB: "There is no point in riling everyone up about it."

None of this means a deal exists. It does mean the Sept. 1 statement that no local elected official had signed an agreement no longer covers everyone.

The site people are watching

The speculation centers on a 690-acre tract off Buddy Ellis Road owned by Juban Trail Development LLC, which originally planned to build homes there, WAFB reported. The parish rezoned it from residential to industrial in November 2025 after Delatte concluded homes would create traffic problems. Delatte said the developer would need parish approval before marketing the land to data center tenants, and that approval won't come until residents' concerns are addressed.

Separately, NextEra is seeking permits for a 500-megawatt battery storage facility in the parish. A battery storage facility holds electricity from the grid and releases it when demand is high. "If NextEra comes down here, then that's smoke; where there's smoke, there's fire," Delatte told WAFB, suggesting large power projects tend to attract other big users.

A new rule on large power generators

The parish council recently adopted an ordinance that requires a special use permit for large power generators, WAFB reported. Delatte called it a first step toward addressing residents' concerns because it gives the parish the final say. Lockwood said it makes the parish "less competitive."

How this compares with West Feliciana

Next door in the Capital Region, West Feliciana Parish says it negotiated its Hut 8 data center directly with the company and without an NDA. (See our story on that deal.) Livingston hasn't reached that stage. There is no named company and no announced project, and the parish's own officials disagree publicly about whether confidentiality agreements help or hurt.

Questions residents can ask now

  1. Which officials or boards have signed confidentiality agreements, and with which companies or about which sites?
  2. When does an agreement expire, and what can be disclosed once it does?
  3. What does the new special use permit for large power generators require, and who votes on it?
  4. If a data center is proposed for the Buddy Ellis Road site, when will the public get a hearing?

For context on deals elsewhere, see our Louisiana Data Center Tracker.

Verify it yourself

Have you asked Livingston Parish officials about a data center or an NDA? Tell us what you were told. Send us a note.

Sources

  1. WAFB: Livingston Parish President says data center is coming eventually (Oct. 1, 2026)
  2. WBRZ: Livingston Parish President says there is currently no plan for a data center in the parish (Sept. 1, 2026)