Entergy Louisiana appreciates the Governor’s leadership in reinforcing a clear, protective framework to guide data center development in our state. Aligning tax exemptions with commitments to customer protections, grid resiliency and reliability, community investments, transparency, and workforce development are important elements toward ensuring these projects deliver meaningful benefits for all Louisianans.
Through our Fair Share Plus pledge, Entergy Louisiana will deliver in excess of an estimated $2.8 billion in customer savings over the next two decades – to all customers across our service area. We remain focused on protecting our customers while supporting responsible economic growth. Part of that is ensuring that large, energy-intensive companies pay their fair share of the infrastructure required to serve them – helping us keep rates affordable for everyone and to maintain a resilient, reliable grid for every home and business we serve.
The Cottonwood generating facility is needed to support broader customer growth across Louisiana and deactivation of legacy units that have been serving all customers for over five decades, and it has been part of Entergy Louisiana’s supply plan before Meta was a potential customer. Despite reports to the contrary, through its contract term, Meta is fully supporting and funding the construction of 7.5 gigawatts of new, highly efficient natural gas generation, along with additional solar and battery resources and purchase capacity. This portfolio is designed to meet Meta’s projected load while also maintaining an adequate reserve margin to protect our customers and ensure reliable service. We have made this clear throughout the standard regulatory process and will continue to do so.
We look forward to working closely with Louisiana Economic Development, the Louisiana Public Service Commission and other partners to ensure that data center projects contribute to strong local economies, create opportunities for our workforce, and help strengthen Louisiana’s innovation economy – while continuing to put all our customers first.
For more information, visit our Fair Share Plus web page.
