Meta Funds 7 New Gas Plants for Louisiana Data Center

Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to fund the construction of seven new natural gas-fired power plants in Louisiana to supply electricity to its expansive Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, marking a significant expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure to support the company's artificial intelligence initiatives. The agreement, revised with utility provider Entergy Louisiana and announced on March 27, adds 5.2 gigawatts of capacity from the new plants to the 2.3 gigawatts already approved for three existing facilities, bringing the total to more than seven gigawatts from 10 plants overall.

The Hyperion campus, under development on more than 3,600 acres in rural northeastern Louisiana, represents Meta's largest data center project to date, with estimated development costs reaching $27 billion. Initially announced in December 2024 with a $10 billion investment, the site has grown through additional land acquisitions and a joint venture with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, which is financing construction via bonds while Meta leases the facility in four-year terms. At full capacity, the data center is expected to draw about five gigawatts for computing workloads, with the...