Cleco's 430 MW Applied Digital deal: who pays for Rapides Parish power

Cleco told the public on May 26, 2026 that it will serve power to an Applied Digital AI factory campus in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The utility says the data center — not existing customers — will reimburse the project’s power-generation and infrastructure costs. Cleco’s own materials put the committed campus load at 430 MW. Louisiana Economic Development frames the same project as a $3.6 billion campus in Boyce with construction begun in January 2026 and initial operations targeted for mid-2027.

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