Delta Forge 1 puts a 1,000-job construction forecast on central Louisiana

Applied Digital's Delta Forge 1 campus in Boyce represents a $3.6 billion construction program in Rapides Parish. Site development began in January 2026, according to Louisiana Economic Development's May 26 announcement.

The state forecasts more than 1,000 jobs at peak construction. That is a reason for local electrical and communications firms to follow the project, while treating the headcount as a forecast across trades.

The first campus scope

Louisiana's announcement describes two initial facilities with 300 MW of critical IT load across approximately 300 acres. Cleco is the power provider. Initial operations are expected in mid-2027.

The state also forecasts 200 full-time on-site jobs and 218 indirect jobs. Those figures describe the longer-term economic case. They should not be added to the peak construction number to create one site workforce.

Applied Digital's July report identifies a 15-year lease for 300 MW and continues to list Delta Forge 1 in construction. The lease's approximately $7.5 billion of contracted base-term revenue is a different measure from the state's $3.6 billion project investment.

Where local firms can enter

The state directs Louisiana businesses to Source Louisiana for vendor and contract opportunities on development projects. Registration provides a route into the state's supplier pipeline. It does not establish a Delta Forge award, an open package or a labor order.

A local contractor should identify the project buyer and the remaining work in each building. The useful questions are specific: Which electrical areas are released? What fiber scope remains? Does the rack installation belong to the campus contract or the customer's fit-out?

For firms already booked elsewhere, the peak workforce forecast also matters as a competing demand for people. A contractor can lose a foreman to a large nearby build without winning any work there. Track actual offers and start dates before changing an existing job's labor budget.

Power and turnover

The named utility and an operating target help define the schedule, but neither establishes a completed connection. Electrical and commissioning firms need the approved energization sequence and test dates for their own scope.

The Louisiana electrician pay report gives a statewide comparison point. The project announcement's wage claim concerns its planned permanent jobs, not a posted hourly rate for construction electricians.