Documents reveal Google's partial payment for Arkansas data center's solar infrastructure
Documents obtained via a FOIA request reveal that Google will pay only a third of the cost for electrical infrastructure for its West Memphis data center, despite previous assurances that Entergy customers would not bear the cost. This contradicts public statements that data center developers would cover all infrastructure upgrade expenses.
Jessica Kivell, a private citizen, obtained confidential documents through a Freedom of Information Act request regarding Entergy's relationship with data centers. These documents, which Entergy and the Arkansas Public Service Commission had agreed to keep secret, reveal that Google will pay only a fraction of the cost for the Cypress Solar farm. This massive 600-megawatt facility in Jefferson County is being built by Entergy to supply power to Google's West Memphis data center.
The revelation contradicts Entergy's previous public assurances that data center developers, including Google, would cover all costs for necessary infrastructure upgrades. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported on these findings, detailing the West Memphis data center's construction timeline and substantial power demands, and indicating that Google plans to claim the entire output of the Cypress Solar project.