Entergy Louisiana is approaching a key regulatory test for the power infrastructure needed to support Meta’s expanding $50 billion data center campus in Richland Parish, The Center Square reports.
The Louisiana Public Service Commission will begin a three-day evidentiary hearing Oct. 7 to examine whether Entergy’s proposed expansion is necessary, how much electricity the data center will require and whether Meta’s agreements adequately protect existing customers from costs tied to the project.
The proceeding will function much like a trial, with Entergy, industrial customers, consumer advocates and other parties questioning and cross-examining witnesses before an administrative law judge. Representatives from the Alliance for Affordable Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists and Sierra Club are among those expected to participate, while Meta is not listed as a witness.
Entergy says Meta’s additional electricity demand exceeds 1 gigawatt and requires new generation and transmission. Project Evest calls for seven combined-cycle natural gas units, four near the Richland Parish campus and three near the Big Cajun generating site in Pointe Coupee Parish, along with three battery-storage projects, a new substation and more than 250 miles of high-voltage transmission lines.
The proposal builds on Project Laidley, approved in August 2025 for Meta’s original development, which included three natural gas units and about 60 miles of transmission infrastructure. Entergy argues Meta’s payments will exceed the annual costs of the new assets and that the plants will serve as system resources available to other customers and regional markets.
Opponents are expected to scrutinize those claims and Entergy’s protections for ratepayers. After the Oct. 7 hearing, the proposal will go before the LPSC for a vote, and the plan could be modified.
