Check out our jointly released press release below.
Last Friday, Earthjustice filed the testimony of three expert witnesses with the Louisiana Public Service Commission on behalf of the Alliance for Affordable Energy (AAE) and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) regarding an application by the state’s largest utility, Entergy, to build three billion-dollar gas power plants—two in Richland Parish and one in St. Charles Parish.
The proposed fossil fuel infrastructure is intended to provide electricity to Meta’s largest planned data center in the country, which would span an area of roughly 70 football fields and draw approximately twice as much power as the entire city of New Orleans.
The experts urge the commission to reject the application in its current form, or if approved, to require Entergy to implement significant safeguards to protect ratepayers from further pollution, grid reliability risks, and potentially massive rate increases.
Below is a statement by Logan Burke, the executive director of AAE.
“Entergy’s application, as proposed, could see ratepayers on the hook for millions and even billions of dollars in additional costs. Economic development for some must not come at the cost of significantly higher energy prices for many. Investment in Louisiana should benefit local communities where projects are being planned and not burden ratepayers across the state who stand to benefit nothing. Entergy has provided no such assurances.”
Below is a statement by Paul Arbaje, an energy analyst at UCS.
“Louisiana’s power grid is one of the most gas-reliant in the country. This creates very real vulnerabilities during extreme weather events and also exposes ratepayers to price volatility and toxic air pollution. As the Commission considers Entergy’s application, these risks to the public must be fully understood and accounted for.”
For more information please contact:
Emma Meyerkopf
AAE Communications Manager
504-229-4643
emma@all4energy.org
