Public Service Commission can demand transparency for Meta’s data center expansion

These agreements limit what elected officials can share with their constituents. Though not technically illegal, the use of NDAs in public projects sets a dangerous precedent for transparency and accountability in dealings with corporations and government. By withholding information, corporations can fast-track projects and unpopular initiatives to avoid public scrutiny. 

The dispute over transparency came to a head recently when an administrative judge ordered Meta to produce records supporting its projections for investment, permanent job creation and electricity demand — key information needed to evaluate whether Entergy’s proposal is truly in the public interest. 

Meta has challenged that order, placing it before the Louisiana Public Service Commission, which is scheduled to discuss the matter at its meeting Wednesday. The panel of five elected utility regulators will determine whether the public gains access to critical information about the project’s costs, jobs and electricity needs.

Their vote will not decide the fate of the Richland Parish data center, which will be determined in December when the Public Service Commission will consider whether Entergy can build seven new power plants for the massive Meta campus. But it will set an important precedent about whether transparency will be the rule or the exception in this process.

The stakes for this project could not be higher. Meta originally announced its Hyperion AI data center as a $10 billion project, but has now doubled its planned size, pushing the cost to as much as $50 billion. 

If completed, the facility would consume a staggering 7.5 gigawatts of electricity, more than seven times the electricity consumed by the entire city of New Orleans. 

Consumer and environmental advocacy groups — including the Alliance for Affordable Energy, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Sierra Club — have raised serious concerns about the financial risks to Entergy Louisiana’s ratepayers. Documents the company submitted to the Public Service Commission estimate its average household customer’s bill could increase up to $40 per month once the new power plants are built. 

Louisianans must pay attention to decisions that will affect their energy costs, environmental health and economic future for decades to come. The Public Service Commission belongs to the people it serves, and the public has a right to be heard when billions of dollars and the welfare of communities are at stake.