A massive data center in rural Louisiana owned by Meta that is nearly the size of Manhattan will cause grid instability and likely result in huge rate hikes for local residents, according to a story in 404 Media.
Meta is building the 4-million-square-foot data center on a 2,250-acre site at a cost of $10 billion. The data center is expected to open in 2030 and will house Meta’s artificial intelligence operations.
The Alliance for Affordable Energy called the data center “a black hole of energy use,” and warned the facility presented a serious threat to grad stability in the area. The local utility Entergy has pledged to build several new generation resources and transmission lines to support the project, including a 1.5 GW natural gas plant. But details about how these new resources will be paid for have yet to be hashed out, leaving residents worried they’ll be footing the bill.
According to Data Center Dynamics, Meta has also pledged to match the data center’s electricity use with 100 percent clean energy.
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
