Meta’s upcoming $10 billion AI data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, will be powered in large part by a brand-new natural gas plant being built specifically to serve it. Entergy is constructing the gas generation on-site, sidestepping the existing grid entirely. The project illustrates a pattern playing out across the country: hyperscalers can’t wait the decade-plus that new transmission and clean generation typically takes, so they’re striking deals to bring fossil generation directly to their fence line. Climate groups have raised concerns about the long-term emissions lock-in, while Louisiana officials are touting the construction jobs and tax revenue. Expect more "behind-the-meter" gas projects like this as AI compute demand outruns grid capacity through the late 2020s.
Meta’s new Louisiana data center will run on its own dedicated natural gas plant
