When Meta selected the Louisiana site for its largest data center to date, it signed an agreement with Entergy to power the site with three large natural gas power plants. Yesterday evening, state regulators approved Entergy’s plan.
The power plant is expected to be online in 2028 and 2029, and will generate 2.25 gigawatts of electricity at its full potential. Ultimately, AI data centers can draw 5 gigawatts of power as they expand.
The power plant project has been causing controversy among Louisiana.
According to Louisiana’s Illuminator, one industrial attribute group is concerned that Meta and Entelgui are receiving special treatment for part 2 of the data center project. The group was founded by large companies such as Dow Chemical, Chevron and Exxonmobil.
Another issue is that Meta’s deal with Entergy lasts for 15 years, with at least one Louisiana Public Service Commission member expressing concern that fee payers will bear the costs once the contract expires. Natural gas power plants typically operate for more than 30 years.
Moreover, according to a coalition of interested scientists, electricity projects of this scale tend to run beyond budgets, with bills often left for fare payers. Fee payers will also pay a $5550 million transmission line running to the data center, the organization said.
Meta continues to fuss about renewable electricity purchases, including the 100 megawatt purchase announced this week. However, these natural gas generators will make it significantly more difficult to achieve the company’s 2030 net zero commitment and will shut down its carbon footprint for decades to come. To offset balance sheet pollution, Meta must purchase credits from the carbon removal project.
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