00:00Three new gas power plants are coming to Louisiana to power a metadata center, despite objections from the community.
00:12Members of the public upset after the State Public Service Commission approved the plan.
00:17The $10 billion data center is touted as the largest plant in the U.S., and the power plants will be run by the utility company Entergy Louisiana.
00:26People criticized the commission for what they say was a rushed process.
00:30There were also concerns about impact on electricity rates, water consumption, and air pollution.
00:36We made sure that Meta's deal would ensure that they would pay enough to cover the generation costs that they are contributing to,
00:42such that we mitigate the effect of Meta becoming a customer.
00:46We mitigated the risks or the impacts that that would have on other customers.
00:50Some members of the public weren't convinced.
00:52My main concern is that this commission is damaging their credibility by rushing through this controversial decision in record time
01:02without due consideration of all the different factors that have been brought up here today.
01:10Construction on that data center has actually already begun in Richland Parish, about halfway between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi.
01:19Commissioners highlighted the economic impact, saying the project will create 500 jobs in one of the most poverty-stricken parts of the U.S.
01:27But we need help, and these people are offering help, and good jobs, and good pay, and I know there's going to be some reasons against it.
01:36There's some kind of philosophical reason, but you can be real philosophical when you don't live in Lake Providence.
01:42The only commissioner to vote no also voiced concerns about the process.
01:46So in evaluating all the costs, the benefits, positives and negatives, certainties and uncertainties associated with this deal,
01:53I am still left struggling with some fundamental questions.
01:56Three new self-built gas generators for one customer without a competitive bid process.
02:02I recognize that we are building in a business environment of trade-offs,
02:06but those fundamentals to me are at the heart of this proposal and were just too bitter for me to swallow.
02:12The first two power plants are expected to come online in 2028, with the third to begin operating in 2029.
02:19For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan.
02:22If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com.
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