Louisiana Commission Blocks Disclosure of Meta Data Center Records

The Louisiana Public Service Commission voted 3-1 on August 12 to keep records secret regarding Meta Platforms' proposed AI data centers in Richland Parish. The decision rejects a recommendation from administrative law judge Melanie Verzwyvelt, which would have forced Meta to disclose data on projected power demand, job creation, and economic impact to support a request for Entergy to build new gas power plants.

Meta argued the requested information was proprietary and unnecessary for the commission's ruling. The project is significant in scale, with some reports indicating the data center could use more power than the city of New Orleans. The commission's move follows an executive order by Governor Jeff Landry to expedite industrial power grid connections. Entergy is currently planning to build between seven and 10 new generators to support the facility.

The vote triggered a sharp conflict between Commission Chair Eric Skrmetta and Commissioner Davante Lewis. Lewis cast the sole dissenting vote, arguing that public access to power usage calculations is essential to ensure ratepayers do not bear the financial risk of the infrastructure. Advocacy groups, including the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Alliance for Affordable Energy, criticized the decision as a blow to regulatory transparency. The commission is scheduled to vote on Entergy's generator plan in December.