Venture Global Maps Out 10-Gigawatt Off-Grid AI Power Buildout at Louisiana LNG Sites

CAMERON, La. — One of Louisiana’s largest LNG developers is laying the groundwork for a second massive business built alongside its export terminals: privately powered artificial-intelligence data centers that could eventually support as much as 10 gigawatts of computing capacity.

Venture Global announced agreements with GE Vernova and Baker Hughes for up to 16 new power-island units, each rated at roughly 720 megawatts, along with associated transformers and electrical equipment. The company says the equipment would expand an existing “Island Mode” power system that operates behind the meter rather than drawing electricity from the public utility grid.

The plan is especially significant for Louisiana because Venture Global’s major operating and development sites are concentrated along the state’s coast. Its Calcasieu Pass and CP2 projects are in Cameron Parish, while Plaquemines LNG is south of New Orleans. Venture Global says the new generation could support both continued LNG growth and potential large-scale data centers on land it owns or controls near its facilities.

If fully developed, the company says the expansion could make up to 10 gigawatts of new compute capacity available by the end of 2034. That would place Venture Global squarely inside Louisiana’s rapidly expanding competition for artificial-intelligence infrastructure, but with a different model from data centers that depend primarily on public utilities for new generation and transmission.

The company says its proposed AI infrastructure would use dedicated on-site natural-gas generation, company-controlled gas supplies and closed-loop water systems. Because the system would operate independently of public electric and water utilities, Venture Global argues the expansion could avoid adding new demand or direct infrastructure costs to local utility customers.

That claim will be important as Louisiana debates how to accommodate enormous new electric loads. Meta’s Richland Parish campus, Amazon’s planned infrastructure and Hut 8’s River Bend development have already pushed questions about generation, transmission, ratepayer protection and water use to the center of the state’s economic-development discussion.

Venture Global’s model does not eliminate every infrastructure or environmental question. Gas-fired generation still requires fuel, air permits and other regulatory approvals, and large industrial data-center campuses can carry significant land-use and emissions implications even when they do not connect to the public grid. Venture Global says it will work with federal, state and local regulators and has begun the permitting process for additional capacity.

The company already has substantial experience with private generation. Venture Global says six power islands totaling about 4.5 gigawatts are ordered, under construction or operating across its LNG facilities. The new agreements would extend that model at a much larger scale.

Baker Hughes says equipment deliveries contemplated under the framework would run from 2028 through 2034. Venture Global expects to place the first new power-island purchase order by the end of 2026, with additional orders potentially following beginning in 2027.

The agreements are frameworks, not a guarantee that all 16 units or the full 10 gigawatts of computing capacity will be built. Venture Global says development will be phased and dependent on customer commitments, market demand and other commercial considerations.

That distinction matters in a Louisiana economy now filled with enormous announced capital projects. The immediate development is that Venture Global has secured a path to acquire the turbines, transformers and related systems needed to build the private power platform. The ultimate size of the AI business will depend on whether customers commit to the computing capacity.

If they do, the project could further blur the line between Louisiana’s traditional energy economy and its emerging digital economy. Instead of simply exporting natural gas, Venture Global would be using Louisiana gas, land and industrial infrastructure to generate electricity on site for some of the most power-intensive computing operations in the world.

Sources

Venture Global — Grid-Independent Power Network Expansion, Oct. 15, 2026

Baker Hughes — Venture Global Power Generation Partnership, Oct. 15, 2026

Baton Rouge Business Report — Louisiana AI power network, Oct. 21, 2026

EPA Moves Blue Marlin Offshore Oil Port Toward Permitting, Opening Cameron Parish Hearing and Comment Period

A proposed offshore crude-oil export terminal off Cameron Parish has cleared another federal permitting milestone, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposing two Clean Air Act permits for the Blue Marlin Offshore Port.

EPA announced October 1 that it is proposing a Prevention of Significant Deterioration preconstruction permit and a Title V operating permit for the project. The agency has opened a public-comment period through October 29 and scheduled an in-person hearing that evening in Cameron.

The proposed permits are not final approval to build or operate the entire project. EPA’s action covers air emissions, while Blue Marlin still requires approvals through the broader federal deepwater-port licensing process.

A Nearly Two-Million-Barrel-a-Day Export Concept

EPA says the project would modify an existing offshore platform in federal waters approximately 82 statute miles off Cameron Parish and allow direct loading of Very Large Crude Carriers and smaller tankers.

The proposed system is designed to move crude at up to 80,000 barrels per hour — approximately 1.92 million barrels per day at that maximum rate. EPA’s October 1 announcement described potential annual exports of roughly 605 million barrels.

Crude would originate at Energy Transfer’s Nederland Terminal in Jefferson County, Texas, travel through a new 42-inch pipeline and then use the existing 36-inch Stingray Mainline to reach the offshore platform complex.

Reusing Gulf Infrastructure

Blue Marlin’s project plan relies partly on repurposing existing offshore natural-gas infrastructure rather than constructing an entirely new offshore corridor. The company says direct offshore loading would allow large crude carriers to take on full cargoes without relying on smaller vessels to shuttle oil to ships anchored farther offshore.

EPA says the proposed air permits would require vapor-capture technology, including a dedicated collection system and combustion units. The agency expects the system described in the permit record to capture approximately 99 percent of vapors associated with transfer and loading operations.

That figure is a permit-design expectation, not a measured operating result because the facility has not been built and placed into service.

Public Hearing Set for Cameron

EPA will hold a public hearing from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on October 29 at the Cameron Parish Police Jury West Annex, 148 Smith Circle in Cameron. Written comments are also due October 29 under EPA docket EPA-R06-OAR-2026-1323.

After the comment period closes, EPA must consider significant comments before deciding whether to issue, modify or deny the air permits.

Another Major Project in Southwest Louisiana’s Energy Corridor

Cameron Parish is already central to Louisiana’s LNG expansion, pipeline construction and Gulf Coast energy infrastructure. Blue Marlin would add a different piece of the export chain: a large offshore terminal designed around crude oil rather than LNG.

The project still has regulatory steps ahead, and EPA’s proposed permits should not be confused with final authorization. But moving the air permits into public review is a concrete step toward a federal decision on whether the offshore terminal can advance.

For Cameron Parish residents and Louisiana’s energy industry, October 29 is now the next important date.

Source Notes

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oct. 1, 2026: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-action-unleash-american-energy-gulf-america

EPA Blue Marlin public notice and permit docket: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/public-comment-and-hearing-opportunity-blue-marlin-offshore-port-llc-bmop-deepwater

Blue Marlin Offshore Port project information: https://bluemarlinport.com/the-project/