Entergy Arkansas has announced a second phase of its service to Google's West Memphis operations, with at least $500 million in new customer savings starting in 2028 and running over 20 years. That comes on top of the $1.6 billion in savings already identified under Entergy's Fair Share Plus pledge for the first phase.

The company says Google will pay the full cost of the power resources it needs, which produces $2.1 billion in net benefits to help cover fixed costs shared by all customers. Entergy Arkansas CEO Laura Landreaux said the agreement, which covers both the original project and the expansion, is expected to return more than $2.1 billion in savings to the utility's 738,000 customers.

What Google is paying for

The system upgrades require approximately $600 million in planned investment plus a power purchase agreement, both covered by Google. The package includes:

  • A 1,000 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system at Driver Solar near Osceola, expected online in 2028.
  • A 400 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system near Hot Springs (Jones Mill), also expected online in 2028.
  • A 440 megawatt (ac) solar power purchase agreement with the Big Island solar facility under construction in Mississippi County, added based on Arkansas Public Service Commission guidance from the initial filing.
  • An expansion of the Galet substation near West Memphis and two new 230 kV transmission lines to serve the expanded data center campus.

Combined with the Arkansas Cypress Solar and Battery facility now under construction in Jefferson County, these resources add over 1,000 megawatts of solar and 2,800 megawatt-hours of dispatchable battery storage. The Steel River Solar project in Northeast Arkansas is separate, an arrangement between Google and Cypress Creek Energy.

Approval and timing

The expansion goes to the Arkansas Public Service Commission for approval. Entergy says the contract provisions will be visible to the Commission and its Staff and the Arkansas Attorney General, and that the filing will follow the Commission's recommendations for agreements of this type. The new resources will not be charged through the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act Rider. Pending approval, the expected in-service date is 2028.

Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's global head of energy and power, said the company is "funding new solar, battery storage and transmission capacity" that delivers savings to Entergy Arkansas customers. The project will fulfill Google's plan for data center buildings on the site and speed up the ramp-up of the original project.

West Memphis and Crittenden County already receive money from Google's $25 million Energy Impact Fund, which supports energy affordability measures and workforce education. In July, Google announced $5 million in energy affordability initiatives tied to the Steel River project.