Power out, profits gone: how Louisiana’s grid failures harm local businesses
Lost Coyote restaurant in Treme was on track for its first record-profit day during Memorial Day weekend, when a sudden blackout brought it all to a standstill.
Category: Entergy
Entergy gets green light for three controversial new gas plants
Public service commissioners voted 4-1 for Entergy’s proposal for three gas plants to power new energy-hungry Meta AI data center.
Entergy wants to use power it creates. That led to the May blackout.
Entergy is a part of MISO, a regional grid operator. But – unless it is ordered by regulators – Entergy leaders are not interested in fully participating in a competitive, cooperative grid that transmits power on a regional level. To do that, Entergy might have to rely on other utilities’ power supplies – and charge less to Entergy customers.
Renewable energy could meet the intense appetites of AI data centers. But Entergy is looking to fossil fuels.
Entergy, the Louisiana utility, has dragged its feet on renewables. Now, it seems that a proposed Meta data center in northern Louisiana might instead create an “urgent” push for dirty, fossil-fuel power. To power the center, Entergy will rely mostly on new gas-fired generators - paid for by ratepayers.
