Gas power plants approved for Meta’s $10B data center, and not everyone is happy
Gas power plants approved for Meta’s $10B data center, and not everyone is happy
When Meta selected a site in Louisiana for its largest data center to date, it signed a deal with Entergy to power the site with three massive natural gas power plants. Yesterday evening, a state regulator approved Entergy’s plans.
The power plants are expected to come online in 2028 and 2029, and at full strength, they’ll generate 2.25 gigawatts of electricity. Ultimately, the AI data center could draw 5 gigawatts of power as its expanded.
The power plant project has been controversial among Louisianans.
One industry-affiliated group is concerned that Meta and Entergy will receive special treatment for a second part of the data center project, which involves building 1.5 gigawatts of solar power across the state, the Louisiana Illuminator reports. The group was formed by large companies, including Dow Chemical, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and others after they struggled to procure renewable power for their own operations.
The other issue is that Meta’s deal with Entergy lasts for 15 years, and at least one Louisiana Public Service Commission member expressed concern that ratepayers will take on the cost after the contract expires. Natural gas power plants typically operate for 30 years or more.
Plus, power projects of this size tend to run over budget, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, and ratepayers are often left with the bill. Ratepayers will also pay for a $550 million transmission line running to the data center, the organization said.
Meta has been on a renewable power-buying spree, including a 100-megawatt purchase announced this week. However, these natural gas generators will make the company’s 2030 net zero pledge significantly harder to achieve, locking in carbon dioxide emissions for decades to come. To offset the pollution on its balance sheet, Meta will have to buy credits from carbon removal projects.
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Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, where he was founding editor.
De Chant is also a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018, during which time he studied climate technologies and explored new business models for journalism. He received his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing tim.dechant@techcrunch.com.
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