The Louisiana Public Service Commission on Wednesday voted to fast-track Entergy’s proposal to power Meta’s data center in Richland Parish, advancing a controversial multibillion-dollar energy build-out tied to one of the state’s largest economic development projects.
In a 4-1 vote, commissioners agreed to accelerate the regulatory review process for Entergy’s application, which calls for constructing seven new natural gas power plants and related infrastructure to support the facility. That’s in addition to the three new power plants that had already been approved.
Entergy’s proposal—estimated at more than $20 billion—would represent one of the largest capital investments in the utility’s history. The vote does not approve the build-out itself but sets a compressed timeline for a final decision later this year.
The fast-track request falls under the PSC’s “Lightning Initiative,” a framework adopted to expedite major projects deemed critical to economic development. Supporters say the approach is necessary for Louisiana to remain competitive as tech companies seek sites for energy-intensive data centers.
But the accelerated timeline has drawn pushback from consumer and environmental advocates—as well as from Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis, who was the only commissioner to vote against fast-tracking the process.
“We’re telling ourselves we’re going to take eight months on seven natural gas power plants,” Lewis said. “To me, that timeline is a mismatch.”
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