Google's solar plant deal with Entergy will shift $308 million in costs to Arkansas ratepayers, regulators say
Arkansas regulators say Entergy Arkansas customers will pay about $308 million more for a solar and battery storage plant tied to Google's data center than they would have if Google had funded the construction directly. The project supports Google's $4 billion data center development near West Memphis.
Arkansas regulators determined that Entergy Arkansas customers will bear an additional $308 million in costs for a solar and battery storage plant associated with Google's data center near West Memphis. The regulators said the costs would have been lower if Google's funding had been used to build the facility.
Google is developing a roughly $4 billion, 1,100-acre data center outside West Memphis to support its search and artificial-intelligence operations. The cost allocation raises questions about how the project's energy infrastructure is being financed and how much of the burden will fall on utility customers.