Update: This story builds on our April 15 coverage of Louisiana's regulatory fast-tracking. The numbers have gotten bigger.
Louisiana Public Service Commission members voted 4-1 to allow Entergy Louisiana to bypass a formal administrative law judge recommendation and advance on a compressed “lightning initiative” timeline for seven new natural gas power plants to fuel Meta's $27 billion data center in Richland Parish. Entergy is already building three gas plants providing 2,200 MW. The seven additional plants would add 5,200 MW — enough to power roughly 3.5 million homes, and 43% more than Entergy's current total generation capacity for all of Louisiana.
Entergy President Phillip May said Meta will cover all costs with no burden on existing ratepayers and that the project will generate $2 billion in customer savings. Alaina DiLaura of Alliance for Affordable Energy called the fast-tracking “premature” for a project of “a scale so enormous.” The final decision is expected in December 2026.