Venture Global has entered frame agreements with GE Vernova and Baker Hughes for up to 16 power-island units, each rated at 720 megawatts, as the Louisiana LNG exporter lays the groundwork for a planned computing network to serve artificial intelligence data centers. The company says it expects to place a purchase order for its first power island by the end of 2026, with deliveries under the agreements scheduled through no later than 2034.
The 8-K filing reviewed by StockTitan says Venture Global could develop up to 10 gigawatts of compute capacity by the end of 2034, subject to customer commitments, market demand and other commercial considerations. The approximately $17.2 billion figure is not a present commitment to buy all the equipment: it is the aggregate amount payable if the company elects every purchase order available under both agreements, subject to adjustment. Further equipment obligations would require separate agreements or orders. The filing also says Venture Global plans to submit its first permit applications this week.
New Orleans CityBusiness reported that the proposed data centers would be built on Venture Global land near its export terminals in Plaquemines and Cameron parishes. CEO Mike Sabel described the plan as an effort to combine power, gas, water, land and computing infrastructure, and cited the company’s existing 4.5-gigawatt private grid as experience building energy infrastructure for its LNG business.
Built On an Existing LNG Export Footprint
The project would extend infrastructure Venture Global has already built around its Louisiana LNG business. The company is constructing and commissioning an LNG liquefaction and export facility in Plaquemines Parish, roughly 20 miles south of New Orleans, according to Venture Global. That Plaquemines site covers approximately 630 acres with about 1.3 miles of Mississippi River frontage, the company says, and the river provides deep-water access without the need for dredging. Venture Global expects the Plaquemines facility to eventually have export capacity greater than 28 million metric tons per year, with room for further expansion.
New Orleans CityBusiness also reports that Venture Global's Cameron Parish export plant occupies a 1,582-acre tract along the Calcasieu Ship Channel, and that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a final order allowing full commercial operations for the first phase of the Plaquemines facility. Venture Global has said the planned data centers would run on the company's own natural gas supplies, operate behind the meter in island mode, and place no demand or extra costs on local public utilities, the outlet reported. The company also said it would use a closed-loop water system to cool the data centers.
Community Pushback From Coastal Residents
The proposal has drawn concern from coastal residents. Robyn Thigpen, a Calcasieu resident and executive director of Fishermen Involved in Sustaining our Heritage, told The Center Square in a statement reported by New Orleans CityBusiness that industrial expansion and environmental damage are affecting fishing families. She said her organization would seek rigorous environmental review, analysis of cumulative emissions and public participation, and cited a potential burn rate of 1.9 billion cubic feet of gas per day for the AI infrastructure.
Coastal land-loss context
A U.S. Geological Survey analysis estimates that coastal Louisiana lost approximately 25% of its 1932 land area by 2016. That coastwide estimate does not establish land loss at the proposed data-center sites or attribute it to this project.
That concern follows regulatory history tied to Venture Global's existing Louisiana operations. Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LLC and TransCameron Pipeline LLC were penalized in 2024 over nearly 200 air permit violations, and state regulators separately cited the company for unauthorized hazardous-air-pollutant releases, including benzene and formaldehyde, between 2022 and 2024, per New Orleans CityBusiness. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality finalized a $245,000 civil penalty settlement with Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LLC and TransCameron Pipeline LLC in 2024, according to the same reporting.
A Pitch Built Around Speed to Power
One potential advantage of private power networks is that they can avoid waiting for a grid connection. New Orleans CityBusiness reported that companies seeking connections to the Louisiana grid may face waits of five to seven years. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has projected that U.S. natural-gas generation will rise 1.7% from 2025 to 2027, or 29 billion kilowatt-hours; under a higher electricity-demand scenario tied to data-center growth, the increase could be 7.3%, or 123 billion kilowatt-hours, according to the EIA.
Another gas-powered computing project
CNBC reported that the Shelby County Health Department issued xAI permits on July 2 to use natural-gas turbines to power its supercomputer facility in Memphis, Tennessee. That is a separate project and permitting decision from Venture Global’s proposed Louisiana buildout.
Louisiana regulators are also weighing demand from other large data-center proposals. A filing with the Louisiana Public Service Commission references transmission resources needed to serve substantial new load for a proposed large data center facility in Richland Parish, a separate project from Venture Global's planned network. Venture Global's own LNG ambitions continue to expand in parallel: the company anticipates completing all planned expansions by 2031, and New Orleans CityBusiness reported that its Plaquemines and Calcasieu facilities are expected to push combined LNG exports from 39.6 million tons per year to more than 100 million tons per year once those expansions are finished.
