On Wednesday, the Louisiana Public Service Commission will vote on Entergy’s controversial plan to power a new data center in Richland Parish, for Meta, the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
The center requires 2.3 gigawatts of power. Entergy Louisiana is proposing building three new gas-fired power plants and transmission infrastructure to meet the data center’s energy needs.
The vote on the settlement was supposed to take place in October, but the commission moved it up to August at Entergy’s request. The utility argues the commission has implemented enough safeguards to make its decision and there’s no reason to further delay the project.
Logan Burke of the Alliance for Affordable Energy said that’s not enough time to understand how the plan would impact Louisianans. The commission is still waiting on a legal recommendation from a judge.
“The commission, in order to make a decision of this magnitude – and I don't use that word lightly in this case – needs all of the information, and it is only appropriate for them to get all of the information and a recommendation on the matters of law,” said Burke. “This will set the road for what Louisiana looks like in terms of these data center expansions for the next years to come.”
Entergy’s proposal will likely increase costs for rate payers. Burke also points to the environmental impacts of building more fossil fuel-powered plants and the large amount of water data centers can require to cool down equipment.
The project has received support from Gov. Jeff Landry who says it will bring much needed economic development to the region.
The meeting will take place at the Carl F. Grant Civic Center in Plaquemine at 10 a.m. Louisiana residents can make public comments on the settlement in person or reach out to their representative on the commission beforehand.
