KEY TAKEAWAYS: Louisiana regulators approved a fast-track process for Entergy’s seven new power plants Plants will support Meta’s multi-billion-dollar AI data center in Richland Parish Project could generate over 5,200 megawatts of power, a major increase in capacity Entergy and Meta say c osts will be covered without impacting existing ratepayers   Louisiana utility regulators approved a fast-track timeline for Entergy to seek final approval to build seven new power plants to fuel Meta’s massive $27 billion artificial intelligence data center project in Richland Parish. Members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission voted 4-1 April 15 at its meeting at the Bentley Hotel in Alexandria to allow Entergy to advance its application as part of what’s known as the “lightning initiative” for a compressed timeline. Regulators will make a final decision on Entergy’s “lightning initiative” at its December meeting, but Wednesday’s vote allows Entergy to bypass a formal recommendation from an administrative law judge. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, a Democrat from Elm Grove whose district includes Richland Parish, made the motion for Entergy to proceed. “I’m for it 1,000%,” Campbell told USA Today Network. Alaina DiLaura of Alliance for Affordable Energy testified against fast-tracking PSC approval, calling it “premature” to wave any analysis for a project with “a scale so enormous.” But Republican Public Service Commissioner Jean-Paul Coussan of Lafayette defended the time line, saying, “Only in government is eight months considered rushed.” Entergy Louisiana President Phillip May and Campbell previously told USA Today Network that the utility and Meta will cover all costs with no responsibility for its other customers. May said Meta’s investment will generate $2 billion in customer savings. “It’s a fantastic win for the region and the state,” May said in a recent interview. Entergy is already building three new natural gas generating facilities to support the Meta project — two in Richland Parish and another near Baton Rouge — that will provide 2,200 megawatts of power. The seven new natural gas plants would generate 5,200 megawatts of power. For perspective, that’s 43% more than the total 12,000 megawatts Entergy produces now for all of Louisiana, May said. Combined the megawatts for the Meta data center would be more than half of the current power produced by Entergy in Louisiana. Meta initially said it would invest $10 billion in the data center that would be the largest in the company’s portfolio and cover 4 million square feet. Since then, Meta’s public filings show its investment has grown to at least $27 billion. Last year President Trump said company founder Mark Zuckerberg told him Meta’s Richland Parish data center would require a $50 billion investment for a campus that would be the size of Manhattan. In an Entergy news release, Meta Vice President Rachel Peterson said its Richland Parish data center “serves as a symbol of the ambition and scale of next-generation AI infrastructure.” Peterson again emphasized the company will foot the bill and cited President Trump’s recent “Ratepayer Protection Plan,” of which Meta signed on. “We’ve been working closely with Entergy since early on-site planning to ensure our power needs are met and, importantly, so that Entergy’s other consumers aren’t paying our costs,” she said. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has said the investment “once again demonstrates our commitment to capital and job creation.” Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Entergy takes first step to power massive Meta data center expansion Reporting by Greg Hilburn, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less