Meta Secures Approval for $10B AI-Focused Data Center in Louisiana

• Regulatory clearance granted for Meta’s largest AI data facility.
• Project features natural gas plants and significant solar investments.

On August 20, 2025, Reuters reported that the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved Meta’s $10 billion data center project in Richland Parish. This decision grants Entergy Louisiana, the region's utility provider, authorization to build extensive new infrastructure to meet the energy needs of the facility. Once complete, this will be Meta’s largest data center, reflecting the company’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence workloads.

The approved infrastructure includes the construction of three natural gas-fired power plants. Two of these plants will be built in Richland Parish and are projected to be operational by late 2028. The third plant will be located at Entergy’s existing Waterford site in St. Charles Parish, coming online by the end of 2029. Additionally, Entergy has received authorization to expedite the procurement of up to 1,500 megawatts of solar energy, offering a dual energy strategy combining fossil-fuel-based and renewable sources.

This development coincides with rising energy demands driven by AI technology. Reports suggest that U.S. data centers could see power consumption triple by 2030 due to increasing workloads from machine learning and cloud-based services. The scale of Meta’s project reflects its alignment with this broader industry trend, underlining the critical infrastructure required to support rapidly advancing computation needs.

The project is expected to bring significant economic benefits to Richland Parish. Beyond being a major financial investment, the facility aims to create local jobs and significantly contribute to regional tax revenues. These benefits are particularly notable for a rural area with limited large-scale industrial projects.

Despite the anticipated economic gains, the approval process revealed concerns about potential drawbacks. The 4-1 vote by the Public Service Commission highlighted issues related to increased costs for residential customers and the environmental impact of new fossil fuel facilities. Entergy has indicated that Meta will bear the portion of infrastructure costs associated with its operations, which could reduce the financial burden on other ratepayers.

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