Google has expanded its partnership with Entergy Arkansas to power its under development 600 megawatt data center in West Memphis, committing to fund three renewable energy projects and grid upgrades and to cover the associated costs in full.
At the centre of the package is a 440 megawatt solar power purchase agreement covering the entire output of Pattern Energy’s Big Island solar plant in Mississippi County, which broke ground in July. The agreement follows a September ruling in which the Arkansas Public Service Commission denied Entergy’s original request to contract with the plant, finding the utility had not shown the costs were reasonable, and advised it to work with Google on the concerns. Google said the new PPA was added based on that commission guidance.
The deal also supports up to 1.4 gigawatt hours of battery storage by 2028, comprising a 1,000 megawatt hour facility at the 313 megawatt Driver Solar Project and a 400 megawatt hour facility near Hot Springs, plus expansion of the Galet substation and two 230 kilovolt transmission lines at West Memphis. Entergy will now file the expansion with the commission and expects service in 2028, pending approval.
“Google is not only paying 100 percent of its power needs but is also contributing to the existing grid and lowering the costs for everyone else,” Entergy Arkansas president and chief executive Laura Landreaux said. The companies put the net benefit at 2.1 billion dollars. The campus, confirmed by Google in September 2025, spans five buildings on 1,178 acres, with initial grid service expected in February 2027 and a ramp to full capacity by October 2029.