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One of the early winners of the 2026 artificial intelligence (AI) trade has been energy stocks. One example is Entergy (ETR 1.69%), with shares up around 25% on the year. It also recently offered bullish news through its subsidiary, Entergy Louisiana, which landed a deal with Meta Platforms (META 2.61%).
To support its $27 billion data center in Louisiana, Meta will fund seven new natural gas power plants, battery storage infrastructure, and new transmission lines. It also agreed to a collaborative framework with Entergy for exploring nuclear power development.
AI workloads are putting constant strain on traditional grids, and that is expected to become a larger issue over the next few years.
By 2027, Goldman Sachs’ research team projects energy demand from data centers will increase by 50%, accelerating further, with energy demand forecast to jump as much as 165% by 2030 compared with 2023.
Natural gas companies have an opportunity to meet that demand by offering consistent, reliable power. According to the International Energy Agency, natural gas accounts for 26% of data center electricity demand. Coal and natural gas together are projected to meet 40% of the additional electricity demand from data centers until 2030.
That demand can provide a significant revenue catalyst for several companies now and in the future.
One benefactor of AI’s energy demands is Entergy. It has 28 facilities powered by various energy sources, including natural gas.
Another is Energy Transfer LP (ET), which is supplying natural gas to three of Oracle’s U.S. data centers.
There is also Enbridge (ENB), which expects data centers to create new demand in the years ahead, with multiple planned projects already being built in the vicinity of its infrastructure and operations.
Finally, while not a natural gas exploration, transportation, or refining company, GE Vernova (GEV) supports the infrastructure of natural gas plants through its turbines. As an example, GE Vernova announced that Crusoe ordered 29 gas turbine units to meet its data center needs.
For each of these opportunities, investors are advised to review each company’s business model and specific risks. Still, as long as demand persists to power data centers, energy companies can continue to benefit in 2026 and beyond.
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