Data Center Threats in Louisiana

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that under current policies, Louisiana will meet increased electricity demand from data centers using gas-fired generation, leading to significant costs for ratepayers and environmental damage. Between 2026 and 2041, cumulative electricity system costs attributed to data center growth are projected to be between $14 billion and $26 billion. The analysis further estimates that electricity generation for data centers will result in $1.5 billion to $3.0 billion in public health costs and $35 billion to $87 billion in climate damages by 2041. The report urges the Louisiana Public Service Commission to reform resource planning, ensure technology companies pay for the costs of new demand, and diversify the energy mix with non-fossil resources.

• Under current policies, Louisiana is projected to meet the increased electricity demand from data centers using gas-fired generation, maintaining an overreliance on a price-volatile fossil fuel.
• Cumulative electricity system costs in Louisiana attributed to data center growth are projected to range between $14 billion and $26 billion from 2026 to 2041, depending on whether growth is categorized as 'Mid' or 'High'.
• By 2041, the generation of electricity specifically to serve data centers is estimated to cause $1.5 billion to $3.0 billion in cumulative public health costs and $35 billion to $87 billion in cumulative climate damages.
• Projections indicate that gas-fired generation will continue to dominate the state's electricity mix, making up to two-thirds of it by 2041.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2026). Data Center Threats in Louisiana. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-summary-EN.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Data Center Threats in Louisiana. 2026. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-summary-EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Data Center Threats in Louisiana |date=April 2026 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-summary-EN.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2026data, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Data Center Threats in Louisiana}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/Data-Center-Threats-in-Louisiana-summary-EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }