Jurisdiction Index / US — Louisiana (Entergy Louisiana / SWEPCO / Cleco — MISO South, LRZ 9; regulator: Louisiana Public Service Commission)
US — Louisiana (Entergy Louisiana / SWEPCO / Cleco — MISO South, LRZ 9; regulator: Louisiana Public Service Commission)
JCI composite · as of · methodology v0
US — Louisiana (Entergy Louisiana / SWEPCO / Cleco — MISO South, LRZ 9; regulator: Louisiana Public Service Commission) scores 63.5/100 on the Compute Institute Jurisdiction Competitiveness Index (Tier 2, Competitive), ranking #11 of 39 rated jurisdictions with a positive outlook, as of September 7, 2026 under methodology v0. Its strongest dimension is Fiscal & Incentives at 7.3/10; its weakest is Capital & Ecosystem Depth at 2/10. 18 of 22 sub-factors are scored on E1–E2 evidence (data confidence A). The positive outlook is driven by 4 forward-looking signals (+1.50 net points, E3–E4 evidence): observed construction velocity (E4), labor & supply capacity (E4), committed capital (E4) and ecosystem (E3).
Dimension breakdown
Seven dimensions, each 0–10, weighted per methodology v0. JCI = Σ(dimension × weight) × 10.
Power Availability & Deliverability
Power Cost
Speed to Build
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment
Fiscal & Incentives
Capital & Ecosystem Depth
Stability & Execution Risk
Outlook drivers — Positive (+1.50 net points)
Forward-looking E3–E4 signals. They move the outlook only — never the base score.
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Observed construction velocity +0.00 pts as of
“LOW CONFIDENCE — not fed by our internal project database and there is no completed Louisiana hyperscale campus to measure: Meta's Hyperion broke ground in December 2024 with first capacity not expected before 2027 and 2 GW targeted around 2030, and Applied Digital's 300 MW Rapides Parish campus began site work in January 2026 for mid-2027 initial operations, so as of September 2026 zero announced campuses are in service. The one hard, verifiable velocity datum is on the enabling generation, where LPSC certification (Aug 20 2025) to groundbreaking (Dec 1 2025) took 3.4 months and Franklin Farms' ~1,500 MW is scheduled for late 2028, i.e. ~36 months order-to-COD.”
Source: Entergy - Entergy Louisiana breaks ground on new generation facilities (December 1, 2025); Applied Digital Delta Forge 1 timeline requires a separate citation (www.entergy.com)
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Labor & supply capacity +0.44 pts as of
“Louisiana construction employment reached 151.1 thousand in July 2026, up 11.4% year over year against 1.3% growth for total nonfarm employment of 2,015.9 thousand, with unemployment at 4.4% — construction is by far the fastest-expanding sector, reflecting the concurrent LNG and data-center build. The ceiling is the size of the base: LED's own project sheet implies 11,750+ peak construction workers across announced data-center projects alone, roughly 7.8% of the entire state construction workforce, on top of the 5,000-worker peak Meta targets at Hyperion.”
Source: Louisiana Economic Development - Louisiana Data Centers: AI, Cloud & Hyperscale Sites (peak construction workforce) (www.opportunitylouisiana.gov)
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Committed capital +1.25 pts as of
“NOT sourced from our internal project database — this rests on Louisiana Economic Development's own project sheet, which totals $81.6 billion of announced data-center investment across Meta ($50B, Richland Parish), Amazon ($18B, Caddo/Bossier — announced Feb 23 2026 at $12B for 540 direct and up to 1,500 construction jobs before expansion), Applied Digital ($3.6B / 300 MW, Rapides) and Hut 8 (up to $10B Phase I, West Feliciana), against 2,025+ direct new jobs and 11,750+ peak construction workers. This is announced-and-certified capital, not deployed capital: no campus is yet in service, so the figure should be read as commitment, not delivery.”
Source: Louisiana Economic Development - Amazon Selects Louisiana for $12 Billion Data Center Campuses in Major U.S. Expansion (February 23, 2026) (www.opportunitylouisiana.gov)
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Ecosystem -0.19 pts as of
“Louisiana's data-center ecosystem is barely two years old and consists of four greenfield programmes on LED's list — Meta, Amazon, Applied Digital and Hut 8 — with 2,025+ direct new jobs statewide and no campus yet operating, versus the deep multi-operator colocation, carrier-hotel and cloud-region density that defines a mature market. The transferable strength is industrial rather than digital: a 151.1-thousand-worker construction base and three MISO utilities (Entergy, SWEPCO, Cleco) that have each now underwritten dedicated generation for a single hyperscale customer.”
Source: Louisiana Economic Development - Louisiana Data Centers: AI, Cloud & Hyperscale Sites (peak construction workforce) (www.opportunitylouisiana.gov)
Sub-factor scores and sources
Every base-scored input below carries E1–E2 evidence: a justification, an evidence-level grade, and a link to the underlying source document.
Power Availability & Deliverability — 6.8/10 (weight 20%)
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Sub-factor
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Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
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Source
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grid headroom 40% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | Louisiana's whole system was only 24,707 MW net summer capacity on 99,622,835 MWh of 2024 net generation, so the announced data-center load is a large fraction of the state, not spare headroom: LPSC has already certified 2,260 MW of new CCCT for Meta (Order U-37425, Aug 20 2025)... as of | Direct Testimony in Application of Entergy Louisiana, LLC for Certification of Generation and Transmission Resources Pursuant to the Commission's Lightning Initiative (LPSC Docket U-37882) lpscpubvalence.lpsc.louisiana.gov | |
| Time-to-power 35% of dimension | 7 /10 | Docket U-37425 was filed October 30 2024 and decided August 20 2025 (9.7 months) for three CCCT generators plus associated 500 kV transmission, and the LPSC's Lightning Directive of December 17 2025 now sets an explicit objective 'of the Commission being able to vote within 8 mon... as of | LPSC Order No. U-37425 (Entergy Louisiana, decided August 20, 2025) - filing date and scope; plus LPSC Dec 17 2025 Minutes for the Lightning Directive 8-month objective and Entergy's Dec 1 2025 groundbreaking release for Franklin Farms lpscpubvalence.lpsc.louisiana.gov | |
| Energy mix & expandability 15% of dimension | 7.5 /10 | Louisiana produced 3,813,990 MMcf of marketed natural gas in 2025 — roughly 8.8% of the 43,229,110 MMcf U.S. total and fourth among states — so new CCGT capacity sits on top of in-basin Haynesville supply and the Henry Hub delivery complex rather than imported fuel. Non-gas expan... as of | U.S. EIA, Natural Gas Marketed Production by State (annual) www.eia.gov | |
| Water availability 10% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | Richland Parish sits on the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer and withdrew 41.73 Mgal/d in 2014 (28.57 Mgal/d groundwater, 13.17 Mgal/d surface), of which 88% (36.88 Mgal/d) was agricultural and 26.42 Mgal/d came from the alluvial aquifer, against a 1980 parish peak above 60 Mga... as of | Louisiana Executive Order No. 26-058 Section 3, Louisiana Ratepayer and Community Protection Initiative (Gov. Jeff Landry, June 25, 2026) gov.louisiana.gov |
Power Cost — 6.9/10 (weight 12.5%)
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Sub-factor
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Score
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Justification
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Evidence
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Source
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial electricity price 60% of dimension | 7 /10 | Louisiana's 2024 average industrial retail price was 5.61 c/kWh against a 8.13 c/kWh U.S. industrial average - 31.0% below the national figure and the cheapest in the West South Central region, though only narrowly: Oklahoma is 5.84, Texas 6.12 and Arkansas 6.61 on the same indus... as of | U.S. EIA, 2024 Total Electric Industry - Average Retail Price by State (Table 4, Forms EIA-861/861S/861U) www.eia.gov | |
| Price trajectory & exposure 25% of dimension | 6 /10 | Louisiana industrial power rose from 6.42 c/kWh in June 2025 to 6.69 c/kWh in June 2026 (+4.2% y/y), a mild trajectory, but the exposure is structural: essentially all of the new capacity being certified is gas-fired (2,260 MW approved plus 5,278 MW proposed), so the state is del... as of | MISO, Planning Resource Auction shows sufficient capacity for coming year (2026/27 PRA results, April 28, 2026) www.misoenergy.org | |
| Cost certainty / contractability 15% of dimension | 8 /10 | The LPSC's Lightning Directive of Dec 17 2025 makes long-tenor contracting a condition of the fast path: the electric service agreement must run at least 15 years with a renewal option and must lock in fixed revenue covering at least one-half of the fixed revenue requirement of t... as of | LPSC, Minutes of the December 17, 2025 Business & Executive Session (Lightning Directive contracting conditions) lpsc.louisiana.gov |
Speed to Build — 7/10 (weight 17.5%)
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Sub-factor
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Score
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Justification
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Evidence
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Source
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permitting regime 40% of dimension | 7 /10 | Entergy Louisiana filed the Evest (second Richland Parish hyperscale campus) certification on March 25 2026 and the Commission exercised original jurisdiction under Rule 57 on April 15 2026 - 21 days - directing the Administrative Hearings Division to compile a record for de novo... as of | LPSC Order No. U-37882 (Entergy Louisiana / Evest LLC, decided April 15, 2026) lpscpubvalence.lpsc.louisiana.gov | |
| Observed construction velocity 35% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Labor & supply capacity 25% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment — 6.6/10 (weight 12.5%)
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Sub-factor
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Score
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Justification
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Evidence
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Source
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-specific law in force 35% of dimension | 6.3 /10 | Louisiana has enacted AI statutes but none touch model training, compute or data centers: HB 119 of the 2026 Regular Session became Act 782, signed June 9 2026 and effective August 1 2026, and criminalises AI-generated sexual imagery, alongside a 2026 political-advertising disclo... as of | Louisiana State Legislature, HB 119 (2026 Regular Session) — Act 782, signed June 9, 2026 www.legis.la.gov | |
| DC-specific regulation 35% of dimension | 7 /10 | Louisiana now has explicit, data-center-specific regulation and it is enabling rather than restrictive: Executive Order 26-058, signed June 25 2026, directs LED to build a Ratepayer and Community Protection Framework as a condition of the R.S. 47:305.73 tax exemption, requiring l... as of | Louisiana Executive Order No. 26-058 Section 3, Louisiana Ratepayer and Community Protection Initiative (Gov. Jeff Landry, June 25, 2026) gov.louisiana.gov | |
| Regulatory predictability 30% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | Direction of travel is stable and pro-build — the Lightning Directive passed 4:1 on Dec 17 2025 with Chairman Francis, Vice Chairman Skrmetta and Commissioner Campbell concurring and only Commissioner Lewis opposing — but the process is contested and the rules are still being wri... as of | LPSC, Minutes of the December 17, 2025 Business & Executive Session (Lightning Directive contracting conditions) lpsc.louisiana.gov |
Fiscal & Incentives — 7.3/10 (weight 10%)
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Sub-factor
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Score
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Justification
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Evidence
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Source
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enacted incentives 40% of dimension | 8 /10 | Act 730 of the 2024 Regular Session (HB 827), effective July 1 2024 and codified at R.S. 47:305.73, rebates both state AND local sales and use tax on data-center equipment, construction and building materials for an agreement term of twenty years, renewable by LED for an addition... as of | Louisiana Act No. 730 (2024 Regular Session, HB 827) — enrolled text www.legis.la.gov | |
| Headline tax burden 40% of dimension | 7 /10 | For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1 2025 Louisiana levies a flat 5.5% corporation income tax, and the corporation franchise tax has been repealed for franchise tax periods beginning on or after January 1 2026. The state sales tax rate is 5% until December 31 2029,... as of | Louisiana Department of Revenue - Is the corporation franchise tax repealed? (plus LDR: What is the state sales tax rate?, https://revenue.louisiana.gov/tax-education-and-faqs/faqs/sales-tax-reform/what-is-the-state-sales-tax-rate/) revenue.louisiana.gov | |
| Incentive durability 20% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | The 20+10 year term is statutory and therefore hard to unwind for certified projects, but two features cut against durability: the qualifying capital-investment window closes July 1 2029, and R.S. 47:305.73(B)(3) lets LED impose conditions in the post-certification agreement — au... as of | Louisiana Executive Order No. 26-058 Section 3, Louisiana Ratepayer and Community Protection Initiative (Gov. Jeff Landry, June 25, 2026) gov.louisiana.gov |
Capital & Ecosystem Depth — 2/10 (weight 12.5%)
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Sub-factor
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Score
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Justification
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Evidence
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Source
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committed capital 40% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Ecosystem 30% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Sovereign/anchor capital availability 30% of dimension | 2 /10 | There is no sovereign or quasi-sovereign anchor capital in Louisiana's data-center build — the capital stack is private credit. Meta's Hyperion campus was moved into a joint venture announced October 21 2025 in which funds managed by Blue Owl Capital hold 80% and Meta 20% of roug... as of | Meta Platforms investor release — Meta Announces Joint Venture with Funds Managed by Blue Owl Capital to Develop Hyperion Data Center (Oct 21, 2025) s21.q4cdn.com |
Stability & Execution Risk — 7.3/10 (weight 15%)
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Sub-factor
|
Score
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Justification
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Evidence
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Source
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political/policy continuity 40% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | The pro-build majority is consistent and institutionally durable: the same five-member elected Commission carried the Lightning Directive 4:1 on Dec 17 2025 (Francis, Skrmetta, Campbell and Coussan for, Lewis against) and the executive branch reinforced rather than reversed it wi... as of | LPSC, Minutes of the December 17, 2025 Business & Executive Session (Lightning Directive contracting conditions) lpsc.louisiana.gov | |
| Currency, transfer & convertibility 35% of dimension | 9.5 /10 | Louisiana settles in U.S. dollars with no capital controls or repatriation restrictions; the BIS 2025 Triennial Central Bank Survey recorded the dollar on one side of 89.2% of all FX trades against global OTC turnover of $9.6 trillion per day, up 28% from $7.5 trillion in 2022. C... as of | Bank for International Settlements, Triennial Central Bank Survey of Foreign Exchange — April 2025 www.bis.org | |
| Physical & geopolitical risk 25% of dimension | 5.5 /10 | Louisiana is among the most disaster-exposed U.S. states: NOAA NCEI counts 106 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters affecting the state from 1980–2024 costing $300–310 billion, of which 27 tropical cyclones are 25.5% of events but 86.0% of total cost, and the 2020–2024 ra... as of | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters — Louisiana state summary (1980–2024) www.ncei.noaa.gov |
Signals
Recent ingested source documents linked to this jurisdiction via extracted claims or triage mentions, newest first.
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· Interesting Engineering · relevance 0.65
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· Interesting Engineering · relevance 0.85
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· Canary Media · relevance 0.00
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· POWER Magazine · relevance 0.90
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· Data Center Dynamics · relevance 0.90
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· Interesting Engineering · relevance 0.30
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· ENR - Power and Industrial · relevance 0.00
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· Construction Dive - main · relevance 0.00
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· thenextweb.com · relevance 0.10
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· Google News Business · relevance 0.00
Scores are reproducible from the frozen inputs snapshot recorded at computation time (2026-09-07T05:00:03+00:00). See the full methodology for rubrics, weights, and the evidence ladder.