Data Center Threats in Louisiana Protecting Communities from Big Tech’s Costly Impacts

The document outlines technical adjustments made to the ReEDS database for a study on data center threats in Louisiana. Key modifications include restricting wind power deployment in Louisiana until 2029 due to slow growth and interconnection delays, and updating retirement dates for several coal and gas plants in Louisiana and Arkansas to reflect current utility filings and legal settlements.

• The analysis assumes that no onshore or offshore wind power will be operational in Louisiana before 2029, a constraint based on the lack of existing utility-scale wind farms in the state and delays in MISO's transmission planning and interconnection queue process for the southern region.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists adjusted the retirement dates for multiple fossil fuel plants in Louisiana and Arkansas to improve model accuracy. For example, the Brame Energy Center units and Nelson Plant Unit 6 were adjusted to a 2029 retirement date, while Independence units 1 and 2 were adjusted to 2031.

APA

Arbaje, P., Gamboa, V. L., Gomberg, S., Dotson, S., & Sattler, S. (2026). Data Center Threats in Louisiana Protecting Communities from Big Tech’s Costly Impacts. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-appendix.pdf

Chicago

Arbaje, Paul, Verónica López Gamboa, Sam Gomberg, Samuel Dotson, and Sandra Sattler. Data Center Threats in Louisiana Protecting Communities from Big Tech’s Costly Impacts. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2026. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-appendix.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Arbaje |first1=Paul |last2=Gamboa |first2=Verónica López |last3=Gomberg |first3=Sam |last4=Dotson |first4=Samuel |last5=Sattler |first5=Sandra |title=Data Center Threats in Louisiana Protecting Communities from Big Tech’s Costly Impacts |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=April 2026 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-appendix.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{arbaje2026data, author = {Arbaje, Paul and Gamboa, Verónica López and Gomberg, Sam and Dotson, Samuel and Sattler, Sandra}, title = {{Data Center Threats in Louisiana Protecting Communities from Big Tech’s Costly Impacts}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-appendix.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }