--- title: "Entergy tells Louisiana regulators its Meta deal may not save customers a penny, amid a $33 billion buildout" description: "Sworn testimony in Louisiana shows Entergy's \"data centers pay their own way\" pledge is a promise, not a guarantee, while the company's $33 billion buildout is financed on the strength of that claim. Households and ETR shareholders are betting on the same good case." publisher: "The Inference" section: "Power" published: 2026-11-11T16:15:28.064Z modified: 2026-11-11T16:15:28.064Z canonical: https://theinference.org/article/entergy-tells-louisiana-regulators-its-meta-deal-may-not-save-customers-a-penny-amid-a-33-billion-buildout language: en keywords: "Entergy, Data Centers, Utilities, Regulation, Louisiana" --- # Entergy tells Louisiana regulators its Meta deal may not save customers a penny, amid a $33 billion buildout > Sworn testimony in Louisiana shows Entergy's "data centers pay their own way" pledge is a promise, not a guarantee, while the company's $33 billion buildout is financed on the strength of that claim. Households and ETR shareholders are betting on the same good case. Under oath in Louisiana, an [Entergy](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/entergy) executive walked back the promise the company sells to households. On October 7, Ryan Jones, Entergy Louisiana's director of regulatory affairs, [told a Louisiana Public Service Commission hearing](https://msindy.org/p/louisiana-testimony-raises-doubts) that customers are not guaranteed to save a penny under the utility's confidential power deal with [Meta](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/meta), and could even be made to shoulder part of it [1]. Entergy has said the opposite publicly: that data centers "pay their full and fair share" and their revenue keeps bills down [1]. The sworn testimony, published November 10, 2026, lands while nine of Entergy's Louisiana plants sit in regulatory review [2]. ## The deal regulators cannot read The Meta contract is secret. So is the similar [Amazon](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/amazon) deal in Mississippi. Entergy will not say what it charges either company. The 2024 Mississippi law behind the Amazon agreement requires data centers to cover their full cost of service, but it does not explicitly guarantee that residential customers pay nothing, and it limits regulators' ability to review the agreements beforehand [1]. The stakes are large: about $13 billion of new gas-fired plants and roughly $7 billion of transmission, batteries and switching stations tied to Meta in Louisiana alone [1]. ## Entergy's savings ledger and Synapse's cost ledger cannot both be right The savings arithmetic runs both ways, and both run through customers. Entergy says Amazon's revenue erased a nearly $5 monthly bill increase for Mississippi customers in July 2026 and promises more than $2 billion in savings over 20 years [1]. Synapse Energy Economics counted from the other side in May 2026: ratepayers have already paid $38 million extra because of data centers, projected to reach $74 million by year-end, about $10.60 on the average bill [1]. The two ledgers were first set side by side in [our October 26 piece on the savings math's first audit](https://www.theinference.com/article/entergy-s-ai-savings-math-meets-its-first-audit-308-million-in-arkansas-3-4-billion-in-louisiana) in Arkansas and Louisiana [4]. *Chart: **Entergy's promised 20-year savings against Synapse's 2026 cost count** Bar chart comparing Synapse Energy Economics' measured and projected extra Mississippi ratepayer costs of $38 million and $74 million with Entergy's promised $2 billion in savings over 20 years.* *Synapse Energy Economics, May 2026 report: extra Mississippi ratepayer costs to date and projected within 2026. Entergy: a company promise of savings over 20 years, a different and far longer time horizon than the Synapse figures, as reported by The Mississippi Independent, November 10, 2026. Units: US dollars, millions. [1]* Meanwhile the buildout accelerates. Industrial Info Resources [tracks more than $33 billion of Entergy projects](https://www.industrialinfo.com/news/article/entergy-powers-up-texas-louisiana-for-data-centers--364664), with about 70% of more than 1,000 planned transmission miles already approved [2]. Chair and CEO Drew Marsh [told CNBC on November 9](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2026/11/10/entergy-ceo-says-election-hasnt-changed-power-demand-outlook-as-data-center-boom-continues.html) that the election has not changed the utility's power demand outlook, citing strong interest from data centers, LNG and steel [3]. *Chart: **$33 billion tracked across the region, $20 billion of it a Meta-tied Louisiana buildout** Bars chart of Entergy's data center buildout: more than $33 billion of projects tracked by Industrial Info Resources, including about $13 billion of new gas-fired plants and roughly $7 billion of transmission, batteries and switching stations tied to Meta in Louisiana.* *Industrial Info Resources tracks more than $33 billion of Entergy projects across Texas and Louisiana; the Louisiana figures are the Meta-tied buildout named in testimony. Units: US dollars, billions. Sources: Industrial Info Resources, November 11, 2026; The Mississippi Independent, November 10, 2026. [1][2]* ## Households carry the downside if savings hold only in the good case If the savings hold only in the good case, the households underwriting Entergy's rate base carry the downside. Whether Mississippi households actually net out ahead cannot be known until the confidential contracts are examined, which happens in rate cases, not press releases. Investors in ETR should watch those filings, and the Louisiana reviews now underway [2]. Sources: 1. The Mississippi Independent, Louisiana testimony raises doubts about Entergy promises of Mississippi data center savings, November 10, 2026 2. Industrial Info Resources, Entergy Powers Up Texas, Louisiana for Data Centers, November 11, 2026 3. CNBC, Entergy CEO says election hasn't changed power demand outlook as data center boom continues, November 10, 2026 4. The Inference, Entergy's AI savings math meets its first audit: $308 million in Arkansas, $3.4 billion in Louisiana, October 26, 2026 ## Takeaway Under oath, Entergy says Louisiana customers are not guaranteed savings from the confidential Meta deal; whether data centers truly pay their own way will only be tested in rate cases and the nine Louisiana plant reviews now underway. ## Sources 1. [The Mississippi Independent, Louisiana testimony raises doubts about Entergy promises of Mississippi data center savings, 10 November 2026](https://msindy.org/p/louisiana-testimony-raises-doubts) 2. [Industrial Info Resources, Entergy Powers Up Texas, Louisiana for Data Centers, 11 November 2026](https://www.industrialinfo.com/news/article/entergy-powers-up-texas-louisiana-for-data-centers--364664) 3. [CNBC, Entergy CEO says election hasn't changed power demand outlook as data center boom continues, 10 November 2026](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2026/11/10/entergy-ceo-says-election-hasnt-changed-power-demand-outlook-as-data-center-boom-continues.html) 4. [The Inference, Entergy's AI savings math meets its first audit: $308 million in Arkansas, $3.4 billion in Louisiana, 26 October 2026](https://www.theinference.com/article/entergy-s-ai-savings-math-meets-its-first-audit-308-million-in-arkansas-3-4-billion-in-louisiana) --- Entergy tells Louisiana regulators its Meta deal may not save customers a penny, amid a $33 billion buildout — The Inference. Canonical: https://theinference.org/article/entergy-tells-louisiana-regulators-its-meta-deal-may-not-save-customers-a-penny-amid-a-33-billion-buildout