Google’s solar plant deal with Entergy will shift $308 million in costs to Arkansas ratepayers, regulators say
Arkansas regulators say a solar and battery storage plant associated with Google’s West Memphis data center will cost Entergy Arkansas customers $308 million more than it would have if Google-funded construction money had been used. Construction continues on Google’s $4 billion data center project near West Memphis, which is intended to support its search and artificial intelligence operations.
Arkansas regulators found that Entergy Arkansas customers will pay an additional $308 million for a solar and battery storage plant tied to Google’s data center operations. The regulators attributed the higher cost to the use of customer-funded construction rather than money provided by Google.
The project is associated with Google’s planned $4 billion data center on 1,100 acres just outside West Memphis. Construction was continuing at the facility, which Google intends to use for search and artificial intelligence capabilities.