Meta Funds Seven New Gas Plants for Louisiana AI Campus, Adding to Fossil Buildout Despite Climate Pledges

Meta Platforms is paying for seven new natural gas-fired power plants to supply its most power-hungry data center, a move that expands fossil-fuel infrastructure even as the company says it remains committed to its climate goals.

The agreement with utility Entergy Corp. calls for 5.2 gigawatts of new gas generation to serve the Hyperion campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana. Three gas plants totaling about 2.3 gigawatts were already approved last year, bringing the planned total to ten plants and more than 7 gigawatts of capacity, according to Entergy [1][4].

Entergy said the deal is “structured to ensure Meta pays its full cost of service” and would deliver more than $2 billion in customer savings over 20 years [1]. Meta declined to disclose its total spending on the gas plants and related infrastructure. A company spokesperson said Friday the company “remains committed to its climate goals” [1].

The gas buildout is part of a roughly $12.9 billion plan that also includes a $1.4 billion transmission line and 200 megawatts of battery storage, Entergy executives said [4]. To fuel the plants, Entergy signed firm transportation agreements for 1.325 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas — enough for ten new combined-cycle units in Louisiana [8][4].

Renewable and nuclear commitments accompany gas expansion

The same agreement includes a Meta commitment to help fund up to 2.5 gigawatts of new renewable resources and a memorandum of understanding to explore future nuclear power development [1]. Entergy has asked Louisiana regulators to approve a corporate sustainability agreement under which Meta — doing business as Evest LLC — would cover the cost of 2,500 megawatts of renewables and storage [4][9]. The utility also cited an “agreement regarding funding of planned and potential nuclear uprates” [9].

Meta’s vice president of data centers, Rachel Peterson, said the Entergy filing “aligns with the principles in the recently signed White House Ratepayer Protection Plans” and demonstrates Louisiana’s “business-friendly environment” [1].

Regulatory approval still pending

The seven new plants require approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission. LPSC staff reached a settlement with Entergy in October covering “several gigawatts of generation and related infrastructure to serve Meta’s planned Hyperion data center campus,” and the commission is set to vote next month [4][8]. Entergy’s filing lists the Richland Parish and Pointe Coupee combined-cycle units with a 2030–31 in-service target [9].

AI demand outpacing clean energy deployment

The Louisiana deal illustrates a broader pattern: data center electricity demand is growing faster than renewable supply can be connected. In Texas, at least 32 gas-fired plants are planned — more than any other state — and researchers project that on-site gas generation could increase nitrogen oxide emissions nearly 400% by 2031, while a grid-plus-renewables scenario would see a 35% increase [3]. Texas Governor Greg Abbott paused new data center grid hookups in August while the grid operator audits more than 470 gigawatts of connection requests [5].

Nationally, private data center construction spending hit a $96.5 billion annual rate in September 2026, up 90% from a year earlier [5]. Entergy’s own pipeline shows 7–12 gigawatts of data center interest and 3–5 gigawatts of traditional industrial load [4][8].

What Meta gains, what ratepayers risk

Entergy argues the agreement shields other customers from cost shifts. CEO Drew Marsh said Meta is “helping contribute to offset some of those costs, but not necessarily to make it go back to flat like we were in Arkansas,” where a Google expansion achieved flat base rates [8]. The utility projects more than $2 billion in customer savings over two decades, but those savings depend on the gas plants operating as planned and on gas prices over a 20-year horizon.

Meta gains dedicated, dispatchable power for a 5-gigawatt computing campus on a timeline that renewables and nuclear — still years from deployment at scale — cannot currently match. The company’s renewable funding commitment (2.5 GW) is less than half the new gas capacity (5.2 GW) and well below the total planned fossil capacity (>7 GW). The nuclear MOU has no defined capacity or timeline.

Whether the Hyperion campus ultimately runs on a cleaner mix will depend on whether the renewable and nuclear provisions materialize on schedule — and whether the gas plants become stranded assets if climate policy or market forces shift. For now, the concrete investment is in gas.