St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Ama and Bayou Gauche
New generation is lining up in St. Charles Parish. 1,640 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Entergy Louisiana LLC (natural gas), the 3rd largest pipeline among Louisiana's counties. St. Charles Parish has no incorporated cities or towns. Its communities, including Ama, Bayou Gauche, Boutte, are unincorporated and governed by the county. Owners plan to retire 1,448 MW more by 2035, led by Little Gypsy in 2029. Its power plants have 4,907 MW of capacity, 75% of it natural gas, the largest fleet in Louisiana. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Rejected county moratorium on data centers”.
Cities and towns in St. Charles Parish
St. Charles Parish has no incorporated cities or towns. Its communities, including Ama, Bayou Gauche, Boutte, are unincorporated and governed by the county.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ama, Bayou Gauche, Boutte, Des Allemands, Destrehan, Hahnville, Killona, Luling, Montz, New Sarpy, Norco, Paradis, St. Rose, Taft.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in St. Charles Parish
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Louisiana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 52,515 | 50,586 | ▼ 3.7% | 21st of 64 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 23,615 | 23,194 | ▼ 1.8% | 39th of 64 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $71,399 | $88,136 | ▲ 23.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 3.4% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 1,000 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 446 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1,640 MW | 33% of today's fleet | 3rd of 14 by size |
1,000 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. 446 MW has retired here since 2019, including Waterford 1 & 2 (natural gas, 446 MW, 2024). Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. Employers here counted 23,194 jobs in 2025, down 1.8% from 2019. Entergy Louisiana LLC is the largest utility serving St. Charles Parish. Its residential customers paid an average 11.05¢/kWh in 2024, below the 11.88¢ median for Louisiana utilities. 50,586 people live here, down 3.7% since 2020.
Who powers St. Charles Parish
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +554 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in St. Charles Parish
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entergy Louisiana LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 957,522 | 11.05¢ | 20% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 3,666 MW | 75% |
| Nuclear | 1,200 MW | 24% |
| Petroleum | 41 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford 3 | Entergy Louisiana LLC | Nuclear | 1,200 MW | 1985 |
| Little Gypsy | Entergy Louisiana LLC | Natural gas | 1,003 MW | 1966 |
| St. Charles Power Station (LA) | Entergy Louisiana LLC | Natural gas | 1,000 MW | 2019 |
| Taft Cogeneration Facility | Occidental Chemical Corporation | Natural gas | 894 MW | 2002 |
| Waterford 1 & 2 | Entergy Louisiana LLC | Natural gas | 486 MW | 1975 |
| Dow St Charles Operations | Dow Chemical Co - St Charles | Natural gas | 324 MW | 1996 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 478 MW | Approvals received | 2029 | Entergy Louisiana LLC |
| Waterford 6 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 478 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2030 | Entergy Louisiana LLC |
| Waterford 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 342 MW | Approvals received | 2029 | Entergy Louisiana LLC |
| Waterford 6 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 342 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2030 | Entergy Louisiana LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford 1 & 2 | Natural gas | 446 MW | 2024 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Gypsy | Natural gas | 1,003 MW | 2029 |
| Waterford 1 & 2 | Natural gas | 446 MW | 2028 |
The St. Charles Parish labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 23,194 | $88,136 | 1.00 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in St. Charles Parish
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rejected county moratorium on data centers | Failed / vetoed | 2026-04 |
St. Charles Parish and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border St. Charles Parish, Jefferson Parish carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles Parish | 50,586 | ▼ 1.8% | 4,907 MW | 1,640 MW | — | 1 |
| Jefferson Parish | 431,398 | ▼ 2.1% | 2,449 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Lafourche Parish | 95,505 | ▲ 2.5% | — | — | — | — |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | 39,875 | ▼ 7.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Louisiana
St. Charles Parish, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana?
1 utility has service territory in St. Charles Parish in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Louisiana LLC. The largest, Entergy Louisiana LLC, charged residential customers 11.05¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in St. Charles Parish?
6 operating plants with 4,907 MW of capacity. The largest is Waterford 3 (1,200 MW, nuclear).
How much new power is planned in St. Charles Parish?
1,640 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Entergy Louisiana LLC.
Are there data centers in St. Charles Parish?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in St. Charles Parish. The nearest activity on record is next door in Jefferson Parish.
Is St. Charles Parish adding jobs?
Employers counted 23,194 jobs in 2025 against 23,615 in 2019 (-1.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does St. Charles Parish have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for St. Charles Parish, 0 in force.