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LA · State profile
Louisiana Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Louisiana — updated daily.
Recent Louisiana data center news
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A look back at the top 10 Capital Region business stories of 2025
Business Report published its Top 10 Capital Region business stories of 2025 on December 5, 2025.
- Main announcement: The roundup highlights several major local developments including Oak View Group’s federal indictment tied to alleged bid-rigging in Texas, LSU leadership churn across athletics and the president’s office, Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ early fiscal challenges, and megaproject momentum such as investments by Hyundai Steel, Blue Point, and a major data-center investment signaling growth in south Louisiana’s energy and manufacturing sectors.
- Background and details: The item is presented in Business Report’s latest issue with a full list available online (linked). Specific actionable facts reported include Oak View Group being the partner LSU sought for an arena and its involvement in a federal indictment related to bid-rigging in Texas; no specific dollar amounts or timelines were provided in the summary.
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The top 10 Capital Region business stories of 2025
Business Report published a year-end roundup summarizing Baton Rouge’s major 2025 business, energy and political developments.
- Main announcement/action: The piece catalogs several large, confirmed projects and transactions including CF Industries’ Blue Point low-carbon ammonia complex (a multibillion-dollar, green‑fuel project) supported by Linde’s $400 million air separation unit, the Hut 8 large data center proposal in West Feliciana, and the sale of H&E Equipment Services after a bidding war (accepted offer ~$5.3 billion from Herc). It also reports the Oak View Group tie to a $15 million DOJ settlement and an indictment tied to bid-rigging.
- Background and other details: The roundup lists state policy and fiscal changes including a new 5.5% flat corporate rate and phased elimination of the corporate franchise tax beginning in 2026; retail and real estate transactions such as Towne Center at Cedar Lodge sold for $81 million; and leadership changes at LSU (President William Tate departed, Wade Rousse named system president and Jim Dalton named chancellor).
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This former lawmaker is the new president of LCTCS
Richard Nelson has been voted by the LCTCS board to serve as the next president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System and will assume the role on Jan. 1.
- Appointment details: Richard Nelson, currently Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, was voted in by the LCTCS board and will begin as LCTCS president on Jan. 1; he will lead a dozen colleges statewide.
- Background and related actions: Nelson has experience in engineering, law, diplomacy, public policy and executive leadership, served seven years with the U.S. Foreign Service, and was appointed Secretary by Governor Jeff Landry; LCTCS committed $250,000 in Workforce Rapid Response funding to Delta Community College to develop programs and expand capacity to support construction and operation of Meta’s $10 billion data center in Richland Parish.
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Roundup: Rolling back efficiencies / ICE in NOLA / Big tech debt
The Trump administration plans to roll back fuel economy standards for gasoline-powered cars and trucks covering through the 2031 model year, and Morgan Stanley is exploring a significant risk transfer tied to Meta’s Hyperion data-center financing.
- Main announcement: The Trump administration intends to weaken mileage rules for gasoline-powered cars and trucks through the 2031 model year, according to people familiar with the plan (reported by Associated Press). The rollback would ease regulatory pressure on automakers to reduce emissions.
- Additional details:Operation Catahoula Crunch: DHS agents deployed to New Orleans targeting unauthorized immigrants with criminal histories, similar to prior sweeps in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte (reported by The Wall Street Journal). Morgan Stanley arranged over $27 billion of debt and about $2.5 billion of equity in October for an SPV tied to Meta Platforms Inc.’s Hyperion data-center in Richland Parish, and is now considering an offload via a significant risk transfer (reported by Bloomberg).
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Alabama regulators approve two-year electric rate freeze and two solar projects for a Meta data center
The Alabama Public Service Commission approved a temporary two-year electric rate freeze and authorized two large-scale solar projects tied to Meta’s Montgomery data center.
- Main action: The PSC voted 3-0 to freeze electric rates at 2025 levels through 2027, delaying a rate increase tied to the $622 million purchase of a natural gas plant until 2028; the order also transfers projected excess 2025 profits into Alabama Power’s Natural Disaster Reserve and locks the Rate RSE factor for two years. The PSC approved two solar projects—Stockton I (80 MW) and Stockton II (180 MW)—to be built in Baldwin County by Dotier, LLC (a Meta subsidiary), with completion expected by Dec. 31, 2028, and Alabama Power buying the projects’ power while Dotier retains the RECs.
- Background and implementation details:Alabama Power will keep environmental compliance and fuel cost factors steady through 2027, use nuclear production tax credits to offset lost revenue during the freeze, and rely on internal cost control measures; critics (Energy Alabama) call the freeze a cost-shifting delay and noted limited public input during the shortened adoption period.
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Entergy Louisiana breaks ground on two new combined cycle plants to power Meta data center
Entergy Louisiana has broken ground in Richland Parish to build two combined-cycle natural gas generation facilities totaling approximately 1,500 MW to support Meta’s planned AI data center; construction begins immediately and both plants are expected operational by late 2028.
- Project details and timeline: Construction of two combined-cycle plants (~1,500 MW total) in Richland Parish began with a groundbreaking; projects are part of an expedited interconnection study process and are scheduled to be completed and operational by late 2028.
- Background, financing, and infrastructure commitments: Meta announced a $10 billion AI data center campus in Richland Parish; Entergy previously said it will invest $6 billion in electric infrastructure (including a 10,000-acre solar farm, three natural gas turbines, and 100 miles of new transmission lines). Meta will fund the full cost of utility infrastructure required to interconnect and serve the site. Entergy projects Meta’s contributions will lower customer storm charges by ~10% and save customers approximately $650 million over a 15-year agreement; carbon sequestration is planned to offset 60% of the new gas emissions with potential future wind/solar expansion.
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‘LaPolitics’: With data centers coming, lawmakers launch energy task force
Senate President Cameron Henry created the Task Force on Energy Infrastructure and Modernization (Senate Resolution 195) to assess energy needs for data center projects and deliver a report to the Louisiana Senate by March 1.
- Main action: The task force will evaluate energy infrastructure and modernization needs specifically for data centers; the Louisiana Public Service Commission previously approved Entergy Louisiana’s plan in August to power Meta’s multibillion-dollar data center in Richland Parish, which requires 2.3 GW. Entergy plans to build three new gas-fired power plants and new transmission infrastructure to supply that capacity.
- Background and details: The task force includes representatives from the PSC (Executive Secretary Brandon Frey was tapped by PSC Chair Mike Francis) and legislators (Senate Natural Resources Chair Bob Hensgens). The group will consider rate impacts, permitting and siting constraints for wind and solar, and stakeholder coordination; the report is due March 1 to the Senate.
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The Five Types of Electro-Industrial States
Rocky Mountain Institute presents a typology classifying US states into five electro-industrial archetypes.
- Main announcement/action: RMI authors classify states into five archetypes — Momentum Hubs (Arizona, California), Fast‑Track Builders (Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, Idaho), Policy Champions (New York, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania), Open‑Door Starters (Vermont, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Iowa), and Early‑Stage Starters (Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Maine, Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas). The typology is based on policy reliability, regulatory ease, economic capacity, physical infrastructure (power and interconnection), and market momentum.
- Background and details: The analysis highlights that market momentum and policy reliability should operate in tandem; low regulatory burdens accelerate short-term investment but may strain local housing and infrastructure without accompanying policy ambition. The authors reference the report GREASE Lightning as a policy playbook for designing investment-led, state-driven electro-industrial strategies.
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State subsidies for data centers are often concealed
Good Jobs First released a report warning most states conceal which companies benefit from data center incentives.
- Main announcement: The report finds 36 states provide subsidies tailored to data centers but only 11 disclose recipient companies; it focuses on sales and use tax exemptions (excluding property tax abatements and discounted utility rates), warns Virginia forgoes nearly $1 billion annually in tax revenue without revealing recipients, and flags Louisiana for not disclosing how much it is giving Meta to build the world’s largest data center.
- Background and detail: Deals often use NDAs, code names, and subsidiaries that obscure beneficiaries; the study excludes other common incentives such as property tax abatements and discounted utility rates; Good Jobs First urges states to scale back or eliminate subsidies and says full transparency is the minimum needed for responsible economic development spending, noting expected federal funding cuts will pressure state budgets.
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Entergy signs a natural gas deal to support Meta’s data center project
Entergy Louisiana announced a 20-year natural gas transportation agreement with Energy Transfer to support a data center project.
- Main announcement: Entergy Louisiana signed a 20-year natural gas transportation agreement with Energy Transfer; the article headline/URLs identify the arrangement as supporting Meta’s data center project.
- Details & context: The article (Business Report, dated Wednesday, November 5, 2025) states the deal was announced “on Tuesday”; Energy Transfer is described as a leading North American energy firm, and no monetary terms or implementation start dates are disclosed in the visible text.