Lawmakers question West Memphis data center project’s impact on Entergy ratepayers
Google is building a large data center in West Memphis, Arkansas, in partnership with Entergy Arkansas. State lawmakers are questioning Entergy about the project's potential impact on residents' electricity bills, especially after documents revealed a planned nearly $6 monthly increase for ratepayers to fund two-thirds of the project.
Construction is underway on a new Google data center campus in West Memphis, Arkansas, a project that involves a 20-year partnership with Entergy Arkansas. State lawmakers expressed concerns during a joint energy committee meeting on Thursday regarding the data center's potential impact on electricity ratepayers. John Bethel, director of public affairs at Entergy Arkansas, explained that rate increases would cover capital outlays for new facilities, depreciating over the asset's life.
Documents released earlier in the month indicated that Entergy and Google plan to fund two-thirds of the project with a projected $6 monthly increase for ratepayers over two decades. Entergy representatives declined to disclose Google's exact energy demand, and lawmakers tabled further questions until next month. West Memphis Utilities stated that its customers would not incur Google's infrastructure costs, as WMU operates independently of Entergy Arkansas. Google is also reportedly considering a second data center project in Little Rock.