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Opponents call Meta's Richland Parish power demand 'absurd' as the fight hits New Orleans

Take the Power Back organizers say a 4,500-megawatt AI campus is absurd for a single project. Entergy says Meta will pay its own way as the PSC heads toward a Dec. 16 vote on a $12.9 billion buildout.

October 14, 2026·LouisianAI·8 minPower

Every material claim links to the cited source. Treat uncertainty notes as part of the record. This is not an approval, a completed operating milestone, or a substitute for the underlying filing.

Opponents of Meta's Richland Parish AI campus took their fight to New Orleans City Hall on Tuesday, arguing that the project's power appetite is not just large but, in their words, absurd — and that the same fight is now spilling into city zoning as well as the statewide utility case. Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026)

"Absurd" for a single project

Fox 8 reported that Entergy New Orleans customers hit a single-day record of 1,160 megawatts during the June 2022 heat wave. Meta's Richland Parish data center is estimated to consume roughly four times that amount on a continual basis, the station said. Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026)

"That is absurd for a single project that nobody asked for and nobody was consulted about," said Kendall Berry, a volunteer organizer with the Take the Power Back campaign. Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026)

The campaign also gathered at City Hall to protest a proposed New Orleans zoning change that would allow smaller data centers inside the city, while keeping pressure on the north Louisiana Hyperion build. Organizer Devorah Lea said the facilities strain the energy grid and water supply and require gas-fired plants that "are going to pollute our air." Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026)

How the 4,500-megawatt figure landed in public

The protest comes days after Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May disclosed at a Public Service Commission hearing that Meta's campus is expected to use 4,500 megawatts — about four times the power used by the city of New Orleans. The Advocate / Sam Karlin and Meghan Friedmann, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) Red River Radio, "Entergy Louisiana CEO Accidentally Reveals Meta AI Data Center Peak Power Demand" (Oct. 12, 2026)

Red River Radio reported that Entergy and Meta had fought for months to keep that number private, telling regulators that revealing it could expose them to business harms, even as ratepayer advocates sought it in court. The figure, the station said, is part of the companies' case for building ten new gas plants to power the facility, with an expedited commission vote possibly as early as November. Red River Radio, "Entergy Louisiana CEO Accidentally Reveals Meta AI Data Center Peak Power Demand" (Oct. 12, 2026)

Fox 8 separately pointed to a recent Entergy filing with MISO, the regional grid operator, describing a proposed substation near the data center sized to deliver 4,500 megawatts. Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026)

What Entergy is asking regulators to approve

The Louisiana Public Service Commission opened Docket U-37882 on Entergy Louisiana's request to certify generation and transmission for Evest LLC, the customer entity tied to the Hyperion campus. Construction Review Online, "Louisiana Regulators Set to Review Entergy's $12.9B Power Buildout for Meta Data Center" (Oct. 5, 2026)

Construction Review Online summarized the ask as a $12.9 billion package: seven combined-cycle natural gas units totaling about 5,278 megawatts (roughly 754 MW each), three battery-storage projects, and more than 250 miles of high-voltage transmission, including a proposed 500-kV West Fork Creek-to-St. Landry line. Four gas units would sit near Richland Parish; three would be near Entergy's Big Cajun complex in Pointe Coupee Parish. Construction Review Online, "Louisiana Regulators Set to Review Entergy's $12.9B Power Buildout for Meta Data Center" (Oct. 5, 2026)

A three-day evidentiary hearing ran Oct. 7–9. The commission has scheduled consideration for its Dec. 16, 2026, Business and Executive Session. Until then, Entergy's expansion remains a proposal, not an approved construction program. Construction Review Online, "Louisiana Regulators Set to Review Entergy's $12.9B Power Buildout for Meta Data Center" (Oct. 5, 2026)

At the hearing's opening day, May called Hyperion a "transformational investment" and said Louisiana is in a "power-first world where speed to power" decides who wins economic opportunity. The Advocate / Sam Karlin and Meghan Friedmann, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) Entergy has already reached a settlement with PSC staff that, if approved, would let the utility skip the usual competitive bid showing that new plants are the least-cost option. The Advocate / Sam Karlin and Meghan Friedmann, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)

Entergy and Meta's counter

Entergy told Fox 8 the facts have not changed: Meta's 20-year deal means the data center "will pay its full and fair share — and then some," so other customers are not subsidizing its energy needs, and the project aligns with Gov. Jeff Landry's directive that data centers pay their own way. The company also pointed to more than 1,500 jobs tied to the buildout and called suggestions of higher bills for other customers false. Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026)

Meta's own July announcement said the Richland Parish site is expanding to 5 GW of compute capacity — the largest in its fleet — with more than $50 billion invested in the region, over 7,500 peak construction jobs, and 1,000 operational roles. Meta said its latest Entergy agreement funds seven new gas plants, three grid-scale batteries, nuclear uprates and other purchased power, and is expected to deliver about $2 billion in customer savings on top of $650 million announced earlier, plus $215 million for affordability programs and help funding up to 2.5 GW of clean and renewable generation. Meta Data Centers, "Deepening our investment in Richland Parish, Louisiana" (July 13, 2026)

Those compute-capacity and peak-demand figures are different metrics: Meta's 5 GW describes campus compute capacity, while the 4,500-megawatt figure discussed in the hearing and MISO filing is electrical demand. Meta Data Centers, "Deepening our investment in Richland Parish, Louisiana" (July 13, 2026) The Advocate / Sam Karlin and Meghan Friedmann, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026) Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026)

Why opponents still do not trust the deal

Alliance for Affordable Energy, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists lawyers at the hearing warned that residents could be left paying for plants if Meta leaves after the 20-year contract. The Advocate reported that three of the plants would be depreciated over 32 years. The Advocate / Sam Karlin and Meghan Friedmann, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)

Tulane Law's Haley Gentry has flagged the same mismatch: Meta agreed to finance initial energy infrastructure at about $2.6 billion under a 20-year contract, while such facilities can last upwards of 30 years. She also noted that the LPSC's expedited "Lightning Amendment" process does not require Entergy to prove the plan is the least-cost option, and that state officials, including the governor, signed nondisclosure agreements with Meta. Tulane Law School / Haley Gentry, "What does Louisiana's AI Data Center Boom Mean for the State?" (Oct. 1, 2026)

May told hearing counsel he was not sure Entergy had studied claims that data centers are being overbuilt, while arguing Meta has revenue beyond AI and that the contract protects ratepayers if Meta leaves early. The Advocate / Sam Karlin and Meghan Friedmann, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)

Why it matters for Louisiana

Tuesday's City Hall protest shows the Hyperion power fight is no longer only a north Louisiana transmission and generation docket. It is also a New Orleans zoning fight and a public test of whether "pay your own way" language survives when a single AI campus is sized like several cities. Fox 8 WVUE / Thanh Truong, "Massive power needs of Meta data center in Richland Parish are 'absurd,' opponents say" (Oct. 13, 2026) The Advocate / Sam Karlin and Meghan Friedmann, "Entergy makes case for expanding Meta data center in hearing while opponents question costs" (Oct. 8, 2026)

The next hard date on the state calendar is Dec. 16, when commissioners decide whether Entergy's $12.9 billion package moves from hearing record to construction authority. Construction Review Online, "Louisiana Regulators Set to Review Entergy's $12.9B Power Buildout for Meta Data Center" (Oct. 5, 2026)

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