Meta to fund natural gas plants to power its largest data center
Key summary
A Louisiana data center project agreed to underwrite energy costs for its newest and largest facility, now under construction in Richland Parish.
The new data center is projected to cost $27 billion and could draw up to 5 gigawatts of power — roughly enough to run about 1 million homes.
The project signed an agreement with Entergy Louisiana to privately fund statewide energy infrastructure, including seven natural-gas power plants totaling 5,200 megawatts, 240 miles of 500‑kilovolt transmission lines, and three battery storage sites.
Public fears about economic disruptions from AI cut across political lines.
A recent poll found majorities of registered Democrats, Republicans, and independents support stronger regulation of AI and data centers, and that most people across age groups use AI at least once a month.
