Meta is building its biggest data center yet in Louisiana, where residents already face surging energy costs—and the country’s highest poverty rate. Now, a growing large-load pipeline could exacerbate power bill burdens in the Pelican State.
The data center buildout will largely be shaped by the state's Public Service Commission, which has two seats up for election this midterms.
The background: Louisiana has attracted multibillion-dollar projects with generous tax breaks. Meanwhile, the Republican-majority PSC has a record of data center-friendly decisions. Last year, the commission adopted a controversial fast-track review process for utility generation that serves large loads like data centers (if these customers promise to cover half of the costs).
The PSC has also gotten flak for its handling of Meta’s $50B, 5-GW data center now under construction in Richland Parish. Last year, the commission approved Entergy’s plan to build three grid-connected gas plants for the facility. Entergy and Meta have since agreed to tack on seven more gas plants (the PSC is set to vote on these additions in December, before new commissioners take office).
Tomorrow’s vote: Ratepayers will pick new representatives for District 1 in the state's Southeast tip, and District 5 in the North (which includes Meta’s data center).
Here’s who’s on the ballot. 👇
For District 1:
Connie Norris (D): A retired educator who’s advocating for lower utility bills.
Stephanie Hilferty (R): A current state rep, Hilferty is campaigning to reduce energy costs, hold utilities accountable, and demand more transparency from power companies.
Chris Justin (Unaffiliated): An engineer and former consultant to the PSC, Justin wants to order data centers to cover their infrastructure and power costs, and end utility campaign contributions.
For District 5:
James Green (D): Green is a pastor campaigning on lowering energy bills and directing data centers to foot their grid costs.
John Atkins (R): The current Caddo Parish Commissioner, his platform centers on boosting utility transparency, bringing down rates, and lowering taxes. Atkins has ties to the oil & gas sectors.
If Dems win both seats, they would flip the commission’s majority. But regardless of the outcome, “there's going to be a big change,” said Alaina DiLaura, policy coordinator at the nonpartisan PSC watchdog group, Alliance for Affordable Energy. That’s because the incumbents have held their seats for two decades.
What the new commissioners will decide: They’ll have a say over utilities’ upcoming integrated resource plans (the PSC is scheduled to decide on Entergy’s next IRP in 2028). They’ll also run the fast-track approval process for data center generation, influencing the types of capacity built by utilities and deciding whether the costs are reasonable.
The big question for the PSC: If data centers decide to abandon these projects, “how does that fall on consumers?” said Asti Davis Robins, director of climate justice at Louisiana voter education group The Power Coalition.
Learning from the past? Today’s data center buildout reminds Robins of Louisiana’s 20th-century oil and gas boom. “They were fast-tracking these projects and not considering the adverse effects to the public,” Robins said. “It makes me feel like we're making the same mistake twice.”
But now, the PSC vote offers “the opportunity to slow it down—and demand what other states have demanded of these utility companies and large industrial companies,” she said.