Louisianans have a lot of energy — we produce it, we refine it and we export it across the country and the world. As a native Louisianan, it is exciting to have a president and administration in Washington committed to unleashing our state’s energy potential by prioritizing reliable, affordable and secure American energy.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently addressed the nation’s largest annual gathering of energy industry leadership, and it’s clear that we are heading into one of the most significant eras ever in American energy.
Notably, the transformative capabilities of Artificial Intelligence were one of the most discussed topics. As Secretary Wright noted in his keynote address, it is “simply critical that America leads the AI race.” For the rapid expansion of AI to be possible, however, its massive energy demands must be met.
AI runs on “hyperscale” data centers that consume enormous amounts of power. According to consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the power needs of AI data centers are expected to surge roughly threefold by the end of the decade, going from between 3% and 4% of total U.S. power demand today to between 11% and 12% in 2030. Similarly, according to Barclays, AI demands are expected to more than double data center electricity needs by 2030.
Louisiana will be crucial in helping our nation lead the AI race and achieve our energy dominance goals. In December, it was announced that Meta is building a $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in Richland Parish.
As noted by Gov. Jeff Landry, Meta’s investment is establishing northeast Louisiana as an anchor in the state’s expanding tech sector and is creating opportunities for Louisiana workers to fill high-paying jobs.
In addition to supporting America’s digital revolution, Louisiana leads among the states for liquefied natural gas exports, boasts four of the nation’s LNG export terminals and holds 6% of the nation’s natural gas reserves.
Thanks to recent actions taken by President Donald Trump and the National Energy Dominance Council ending the LNG export pause and restoring regular order to federal LNG project reviews, we are positioned to grow our state’s role as a leading exporter of liquefied natural gas in the coming years.
Just last month, Secretary Wright approved a liquefied natural gas export authorization for the Venture Global CP2 LNG export project under development for Cameron Parish, which will boost the local economy and is projected to export up to 3.96 billion cubic feet per day of LNG upon completion.
Additionally, Secretaries Wright and Burgum recently joined Gov. Landry and Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel in Plaquemines Parish to announce an additional $18 billion expansion to the Plaquemines LNG Export facility — making the facility the largest of its kind in the United States.
As Louisiana’s highly skilled energy workforce ramps up production to meet the needs of our nation, our industry continues to keep environmental and health impacts top of mind. We remain committed to deploying carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies, which capture emissions and geologically store them safely and securely deep underground. We know that we can support a robust LNG industry, meet the power demands of AI and play a critical role in helping to ensure our national security, all the while reducing our environmental impact.
Louisianans should be proud that we are answering the call of America’s energy production and energy security needs. The natural gas and oil produced in our state, as well as our neighboring Gulf of America states, touches every sector of the economy and reaches every facet of our lives, from heating our homes and fueling transportation to supporting the manufacture of products we use every single day.
We have got a lot of energy in Louisiana — and our country needs us now more than ever.