Venture Global plans to invest approximately $17.2 billion in a private, off-grid power network to support artificial intelligence data centers on company-owned land near its liquefied natural gas export terminals in Plaquemines and Cameron parishes, The Center Square reports.
The company has signed agreements with GE Vernova and Baker Hughes to purchase 16 natural gas turbines capable of generating up to 11.5 gigawatts of electricity for a planned 10-gigawatt network.
The system would operate independently of the public utility grid, using Venture Global’s natural gas supplies and closed-loop water systems to cool the data centers. The company says this approach would bypass typical five- to seven-year waits for Louisiana grid interconnections without adding demand or costs to local utilities.
CEO Mike Sabel describes the project as a vertically integrated AI utility combining power generation, gas supplies, land and other infrastructure. Venture Global expects to place its first turbine order by the end of 2026, with all 16 turbines scheduled for delivery by the end of 2034.
Separately, federal regulators authorized full commercial operations for the first phase of the company’s Plaquemines LNG facility, which has an annual capacity of 13.3 million tons. Planned expansions at Plaquemines and Calcasieu are expected to increase combined LNG export capacity from 39.6 million tons to more than 100 million annually by 2031.
The project faces environmental scrutiny following a 2024 Louisiana settlement imposing a $245,000 penalty over nearly 200 air permit violations involving hazardous pollutants, including benzene and formaldehyde. Coastal advocates warn that additional gas consumption, emissions, dredging and industrial development could threaten local communities, fisheries and coastal ecosystems.
