Louisiana regulators back power plan for Meta’s largest AI data center
State regulators on Wednesday gave the green light to a contentious proposal to supply energy for Meta’s largest artificial intelligence data center, set to rise in rural northeast Louisiana.
The approval paves the way for the construction of three natural gas power plants dedicated to supporting the project, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The Public Service Commission voted 4-1 in favor of the plan proposed by Entergy at a meeting in the city of Plaquemine following hours of public debate. The power plan is key for Meta's $10 billion facility to move forward.
The project will be built on former agricultural land the size of around 70 football fields. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has spoken of further expanding it to a size that would rival the footprint of Manhattan as the company dives headlong into the high-stakes race to dominate the emerging AI industry.
Wednesday's approval was largely expected as Louisiana officials, including Gov. Jeff Landry, have welcomed the project as an economic development gamechanger in a long-struggling region of the state. But the project in Richland Parish has also drawn sharp criticism over its huge energy needs.
Much of the debate has involved whether average electricity ratepayers and businesses statewide will end up shouldering at least some of the costs associated with the power plan Entergy has set out for the facility. Entergy says there are safeguards in place and argues that the new plants will ultimately benefit everyone.
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