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West Feliciana Parish officials approved a zoning change Monday evening that will allow for the construction of a $2.5 billion data center. The parish Planning & Zoning Commission easily voted in favor of the Hut 8 artificial intelligence data center. Parish President Kenny Havard said the center will create "several hundred" permanent jobs.

Riley Trettel, senior vice president of data center development for Hut 8, said the plan is to lease the center to an undisclosed tenant, which will then buy computers and equipment. Trettel said Hut 8 serves as a developer for technology companies that need more computer infrastructure than they can build.