Meta triples initial plans, builds 10 gas-fired power plants for AI data center in Louisiana

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will pay for 10 natural gas power plants to fuel its AI data center complex in rural Louisiana, called Hyperion, tripling its initial plans for just three gas-fired plants, according to Fortune.

Meta reached a new agreement with Entergy Corporation to build and pay for seven more gas plants to generate 5.2 gigawatts of electricity to Meta's AI data center in rural Richland Parish, the utility's local subsidiary announced in a statement on March 27.

Entergy already received approval to build three natural gas plants in 2025 to provide electricity to Meta. With the new expansion, Hyperion will now be powered by 10 natural gas facilities, delivering more than 7 gigawatts of power, according to Entergy. 

Still, the seven new plants will need to be approved by state regulators before construction can begin.

With the 7.5 gigawatts of capacity added from the 10 gas power plants, Fortune reported it "would represent a more than 30% increase to Louisiana's entire grid capacity."

The agreement between the companies includes a commitment from Meta to help fund up to 2.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy resources, 240 miles of new transmission lines, and battery energy storage systems, as well as a memorandum of understanding to explore the potential future usage of nuclear power. 

This announcement comes on the heels of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg disclosing plans to nearly double the company's "AI-related capital expenditures" for 2026.

The contract runs for 15 years, and some critics are worried ratepayers could be stuck with the bill if Meta no longer requires the plants after then. Consumers are already enduring rising electricity costs tied to the AI infrastructure boom.

Entergy notes that Meta is paying for "its full cost of service." The company also claims that the agreement would account for more than $2 billion in customer savings over 20 years.

However, critics are also concerned that powering this sprawling AI infrastructure with natural gas only increases Meta's reliance on fossil fuels amid the fast-moving artificial intelligence race. If such a substantial amount of energy is necessary to operate the new Louisiana data center campus, the environmental implications could be significant.

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