Louisiana Data Center News

Mar 29, 2026

AI's Arrival Complicates Big Tech Climate Goals, and Some Worry it's Locking in More Fossil Fuels

The Associated Press reports that major tech companies including Google and Microsoft are acknowledging difficulty meeting their 2030 carbon-removal/carbon-neutral goals as rapid AI-driven data-center growth increases electricity demand.

Main point: Major tech firms are increasingly relying on natural gas and other fossil-fuel generation to power rapidly expanding AI data centers, putting earlier 2030 emissions/removal targets under strain; examples include two new natural gas plants in Wisconsin for a Microsoft data center, three natural gas plants planned to serve a Meta data center in rural Louisiana, and Google buying power from a natural gas plant at the Archer Daniels Midland facility in Decatur, Illinois with carbon capture and storage. The article reports companies’ emissions rose (Google ~50%, Amazon ~33%, Microsoft >23%, Meta >60%) and that data centers used ~4.6% of U.S. electricity in 2024 and that share could nearly triple by 2028.
Background/details: Analysts and groups cited include Wood Mackenzie, Clean Energy Buyers Association, International Energy Agency, Union of Concerned Scientists, World Resources Institute, Rhodium Group, and Uptime Institute; the piece notes natural gas accounted for >40% of electricity powering U.S. data centers in 2024 and coal supplied ~30% globally, that a backlog of grid interconnection approvals and proposed changes to renewable-credit accounting could complicate clean-energy claims, and that federal policy changes (cancellations of grants/permits and the ending of certain tax credits in July) under the Trump administration are affecting renewable deployment.

Mar 28, 2026

Entergy, Meta deepen Louisiana data centre partnership under revised power pact

Entergy Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. announced an expanded agreement to support Meta’s hyperscale AI-focused data centre in northeast Louisiana.

Expanded agreement details: Under the revised agreement Entergy will support the hyperscale AI-focused data centre and develop new power plants to meet Meta’s energy requirements; Entergy said Louisiana customers are expected to save about $2 billion over the next 20 years, in addition to $650 million in benefits previously committed when it began construction of turbine generation facilities at the site in 2025.
Background and implementation: The deal follows Entergy’s “Fair Share Plus” framework (large customers pay full cost of services); Meta earlier announced a $10 billion investment in 2024 to build the AI-focused data centre in the region, and Entergy shares rose more than 4 per cent in morning trading after the announcement.

Mar 27, 2026

Entergy, Meta strike deal that could deliver $2.6B in customer savings

Entergy Louisiana has reached an agreement with Meta to deliver roughly $2 billion in customer savings over 20 years and to advance Meta’s Hyperion data center project.

Main announcement: Entergy Louisiana and Meta agreed to an arrangement expected to deliver roughly $2 billion in customer savings over 20 years, building on a prior agreement to bring total projected customer benefits to about $2.65 billion; Meta will cover the full cost of new energy infrastructure required to support its hyperscale data center so existing customers are not burdened.
Background and details: The partnership includes funding for bill assistance programs, energy efficiency initiatives and expanded renewable energy development; Meta earlier secured a $27 billion financing partnership with Blue Owl Capital to build the $10 billion Hyperion project in Richland Parish, with Blue Owl holding the majority stake and Meta retaining about 20% equity.

Mar 20, 2026

How to Build an Affordable Energy Future

NRDC will develop and release a series of papers called the Build Clean Agenda focused on three areas of reform to speed clean energy and infrastructure deployment.

Main action: NRDC will publish a multi-paper Build Clean Agenda to modernize laws and permitting, level the playing field for clean energy, and design projects that benefit communities; it calls for U.S. renewable energy production to roughly quadruple, and for at least tripling grid capacity over the next 25 years, and highlights the Western Solar Plan identifying 31 million acres for siting solar on public lands.
Background and specifics: The piece documents concrete barriers and numbers: the oil, gas, and coal industries receive $34 billion in annual federal subsidies; a 2025 partisan tax bill risks an estimated half a trillion dollars of private clean-energy investment and may raise consumer fuel/energy costs $78–$192 per year; it cites projects like the Grain Belt Express facing multi-year delays and supports targeted reforms such as expanding the “One Federal Decision” approach and giving a federal lead (e.g., FERC) authority to coordinate interstate transmission permitting where uniform standards are met.

Mar 13, 2026

Landowners and Locals are Fighting AI Expansion of High-Voltage Power Lines

PPL has announced plans to build a 500-kilovolt transmission line (the 12-mile “Sugarloaf” project) that could cross John Zola’s 40-acre property in eastern Pennsylvania.

Project details and local action: The 12-mile Sugarloaf project would reuse and expand an existing corridor, involve 240-foot metal towers and require a wide corridor (up to 200-foot-wide in some projects); PPL serves more than 1.5 million customers, projects peak electricity demand to more than triple by 2030, has offered landowners cash payments (offers reported rising from $17,000 to $85,000 for one owner) and may pursue eminent domain if landowners refuse.
Background and national context: The article places the Sugarloaf dispute in a broader national trend driven by AI-era data center demand: a $1.7 billion proposed Pennsylvania-spanning line, a $22 billion Midwest transmission package under dispute, and utilities forecasting transmission spending to nearly $50 billion a year by 2028; opponents include landowners, conservationists, state regulators and regional stakeholders.

Mar 13, 2026

Digital Infrastructure Boom Faces Complex Labor Crisis

William Self of Mercer warned that labor — not capital, land, or energy — is the single biggest constraint on the current data center buildout during a Marsh-hosted webinar on March 9.

Main announcement/action:William Self (Mercer) stated the workforce shortfall could be 75,000–140,000 skilled workers over the next few years; he said companies must plan for two talent phases (construction trades vs. long-term operations) and build labor pipelines via apprenticeships, community college partnerships, veteran pipelines, and in-house academies. The webinar was hosted by Marsh on March 9.
Background and details: Self flagged geographic shifts from hubs (Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas) to emerging locales (Columbus, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Abilene, Texas; rural Louisiana; Texas Panhandle), noted a resulting boomtown dynamic and service shortfalls, reported cross-industry poaching (power/utilities, defense, process industries), mentioned a risk-based pay response to a “psychological burden” tied to conflict in the Middle East, and cited typical data center technician pay of $60,000–$90,000 annually.

Mar 11, 2026

AI Is Driving Demand – Data Centers Must Rewrite the Rulebook to Keep Up

The article argues for a sector-wide shift to a digital-first, agile construction model for data centers to meet surging AI-driven compute demand.

Main recommendation: The piece calls for a digital-first construction model (digital twins, generative design AI, unified operations, modular design) to reduce build times and enable real-time capacity scaling; it cites forecasts of 33% annual growth in AI-ready capacity (2023–2030) and examples including Meta’s $50 billion AI data center plan in rural Louisiana and Vantage Data Centers’ $22 billion loan pursuit for a Texas campus.
Background & evidence: It documents current constraints—18–36 months typical build times, U.S. power needs rising from ~4 GW (2024) to as much as 123 GW (2035), the Uptime Institute finding that 55% of data centers experienced outages (many costing >$100,000)—and presents tech enablers (digital twins, unified operations, predictive analytics) with measured impacts from AP Consultoria e Projetos (e.g., 29% reduced rework, 49% faster delivery).

Mar 11, 2026

Could Rapides Parish be home to Louisiana’s next big data center project?

Applied Digital is positioning a site in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, for a large-scale data center.

Applied Digital (Dallas-based) is reportedly positioning a site in Rapides Parish, Louisiana for a large-scale data center, based on public records and local economic development activity; the article does not disclose any deal size, timeline, or confirmed contractual commitments.
Source/context: Story published by Business Report / Louisiana Business Report on March 11, 2026; content is behind an INSIDER paywall, references public records and local economic development activity, and includes image credit iStock/Nikada. No official press release or named partner details are provided in the excerpt.

Mar 10, 2026

‘LaPolitics:’ State’s new strategic plan targets energy growth

Louisiana Economic Development and the newly reorganized Department of Conservation and Energy launched a statewide “whole-of-Louisiana” energy strategy while Gov. Jeff Landry restructured LED and C&E during his first two years in office.

Main action: The state commissioned a targeted energy and process industries strategic plan through Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and paired it with the newly transformed Department of Conservation and Energy (C&E) to create a coordinated, asset-mapping and project-acceleration approach across regions; the administration also announced 19 businesses will receive a total of $140 million from LED’s FastSites revolving loan fund.
Background and details: The strategy emphasizes asset identification (e.g., access to natural gas, available land), community engagement requirements (C&E Secretary Dustin Davidson asks applicants whether they’ve consulted local leaders/residents), and an “all-of-the-above” energy posture including oil & gas, manufacturing for solar/wind, and projects with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) components; the administration also cites “billions of dollars” in planned or potential projects (not individually quantified) and is weighing data center/AI investments to limit energy/ratepayer risks.

Mar 9, 2026

Roundup: OpenAI exec resigns / Data center dispute / Liz Murrill

Caitlin Kalinowski has resigned from OpenAI, citing concerns about AI’s role in national security.

Resignation and ethics concerns: Caitlin Kalinowski, OpenAI’s head of hardware and robotics operations, resigned and in a public post warned against domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons without human oversight; her departure follows a Pentagon partnership with OpenAI after Anthropic’s talks with the Defense Department collapsed over similar restrictions.
Other announcements and developments: Stack Infrastructure is advancing Amazon-linked data center development at two rural sites near Shreveport while the City of Shreveport’s project at Resilient Technology Park is stalled by litigation; a March 23 court hearing could determine that project’s fate and the expansion involves billions in investment tied to Amazon’s regional plans.
- Court hearing: March 23 (no time provided) — litigation will affect the Resilient Technology Park project.
- Vanguard settlement: Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced a settlement in which Vanguard agreed to pay $29.5 million and will cooperate with an ongoing multistate lawsuit alleging manipulation of coal markets; litigation continues against BlackRock and State Street.

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