Seth Stern, chief of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said Entergy's lawsuit was meritless.
Data centers in Crittenden County, Arkansas
Crittenden County has 1 data center on the record; it is being built. No county or city rule about data centers is on the record for Crittenden County yet.
How to read this page. Every count comes from the records on this page and links to where it is counted. Nothing is published until a person reads its source, and a figure no source gives reads Not disclosed; nothing is estimated. A rating changes only when a person sets it.
The data center in Crittenden County
Each row is one site with its stage, its latest dated entry and what its sources disclose. A figure no source gives reads Not disclosed.
Google West Memphis Data Center
West Memphis, Crittenden County · Google
Latest, reported September 20, 2026: Entergy and Google began talks about a data center in West Memphis; three months later, work on the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act began arkansasonline.com local outlet
- Land
- Not disclosed
- Power
- Not disclosed
- Water
- Not disclosed
- Tenant
- Not disclosed
Where
Drag with one finger to move the map, pinch to zoom. Tap a pin for the data center, a county for its rules
1 data center in Crittenden County: being built. A dashed edge means the exact site is not in the public record; every pin here marks a town or the county.
The cities in Crittenden County on the record (1)
| City | Projects |
|---|---|
| West Memphis | 1 |
What happened
-
· Google West Memphis Data Center
Broke ground: Google broke ground on a $4 billion data center in West Memphis on October 2, 2025 businessfacilities.com local outlet
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· Google West Memphis Data Center
Approved: Data center campus on 1,100 acres in West Memphis commercialappeal.com local outlet
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· Google West Memphis Data Center
Broke ground: Google is the developer of the West Memphis data center project in Arkansas datacenterdynamics.com trade press
What was said
Lee Wolverton, Arkansas Democrat Gazette Executive Editor, said the First Amendment held true in the case.
Entergy claimed the documents were released in error by state regulators and contained confidential trade secret information.
Matt McKee, Republican senator, questioned why Entergy was recouping costs for Cypress Solar from regular ratepayers through the rider when Entergy claimed Google was covering all costs associated with serving data centers under the Fair Share Plus pledge.
Every Arkansas statement, by speaker
58 more statements on this page
Lamor Williams, Entergy Arkansas spokesperson
Entergy says documents about West Memphis data center agreement with Altitude Capital were confidential trade secrets released in error
John Bethel, Entergy Arkansas director of public affairs, stated that the rider shifts up costs that ratepayers would eventually pay and saves ratepayers money by reducing interest and other costs that increase over time.
John Bethel, Entergy director of public affairs
Entergy representative stated that ratepayers could see rate increases as Entergy builds facilities needed to serve the data center, but costs would stabilize once construction is complete
David Palmer, Entergy Arkansas vice president of regulatory affairs, stated that the need to ensure Cypress Solar was built in time for the data center to go online on schedule, plus pursuit of tax credits, played into the decision to recoup costs from ratepayers.
Entergy director of public affairs
John Bethel, Entergy's director of public affairs, said Google has not publicly disclosed the energy requirement figure for the West Memphis data center
Google energy market development
Rachel Wilson, energy market development representative for Google, told Arkansas lawmakers that Google's data centers support more than artificial intelligence development, powering Google Search, YouTube, Gmail and Google Maps
Republican State Senator
Mark Johnson reported that his Entergy power bill included an added $22.81 from a new rider tacked onto power bills in summer 2026.
Republican State Senator
Mark Johnson, Republican senator and co chair of the Joint Energy Committee, criticized Entergy for suing the Arkansas Democrat Gazette over First Amendment reporting on power agreements with Google and noted his disappointment with the lawsuit.
Guy Lancaster, guest columnist
Silicon Valley billionaires want to build data centers across Arkansas
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Google data center is intended to power the company's search and artificial intelligence capabilities
West Memphis Utilities
Google is financially responsible for utility infrastructure required to serve the West Memphis data center
Andrew Mobley, reporter
Entergy says Democrat Gazette made a mathematical error by accounting for only 12 months of payments rather than the full 20 year term
Bob Atkins General Manager
West Memphis Utilities assures customers they will not see a rate increase because of Google's data center
Ruth Porat, Google President, Chief Investment Officer
Google states it is collaborating with Entergy to ensure it covers the full cost of powering the facility
Andrew Mobley, reporter
Democrat Gazette reported Google will pay Entergy about one third of the cost to build the solar plant powering the data center
Google said the $526 million figure represents upfront payments and that ongoing payments will continue throughout the agreement
Entergy stated remaining two thirds of Cypress Solar project costs would be covered by Arkansas ratepayers via a proposed approximately $6 per month utility rate increase
Entergy Arkansas
Entergy stated the agreement includes approximately $443 million in upfront payments and at least $83 million annually over 20 years, totaling more than $2.1 billion
Entergy (via Beth Hunt, news anchor)
Entergy stated Google is fully committed to covering 100 percent of the power and infrastructure costs associated with the data center
Google executive Ruth Porat said at 2025 groundbreaking that Google would cover the full cost of powering the West Memphis facility
Doug McGowen, MLGW President and CEO
MLGW customers have seen no electric rate increase due to data centers in Memphis operated by SpaceXAI and other companies
Lee Rudofsky
Judge said case involves issue of significant public concern and public utility arrangements with data centers have repercussions across state
Entergy alleged Google's project will provide more than $1.1 billion in net benefits to Arkansas residents
Google spokesperson
Google statement: Google is fully committed to covering 100 percent of the power and infrastructure costs for West Memphis data center, with ongoing monthly rates over the 20 year agreement completely funding operational footprint
Google spokesperson stated Google is committed to covering 100% of power and infrastructure costs, with upfront payments totaling $526 million and ongoing monthly rates over a 20 year agreement
Entergy Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit seeking to restrict publication of information tied to Google's West Memphis data center, including financial details involving the Arkansas Cypress Solar and Battery project in Jefferson County
Entergy alleged confidential information involving its agreements with Altitude Capital LLC, a Google subsidiary, was released by the Arkansas Public Service Commission through a public records request
Commission rejected Entergy's proposed accounting treatment for Google's upfront payments, requiring portions of agreement to be renegotiated.
community observer
Jerry Damerow recommended baseline noise studies before construction to establish benchmarks for data center operations
community observer
Jerry Damerow called for baseline air quality and humidity tests before construction and before generators start operating
community observer
Jerry Damerow stated that state law prohibits banning data centers, so the focus should be on regulations rather than moratoriums
DivTeck101
Data centers consume massive amounts of megawatts that standard rural power grids are not originally built to handle
DivTeck101
Data center cooling systems require water volume comparable to small cities
DivTeck101 states the proposed Google data center in West Memphis and the xAI facility in Memphis are approximately 4.5 miles apart
Google providing $25 million energy efficiency fund for electric bills and home weatherization
president and chief executive officer, Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce
Jay Chesshir, president and chief executive officer of Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, said NDAs have been a part of economic development work for decades
director of state and local policy, American Economic Liberties Project
Pat Garafalo, director of state and local policy at the American Economic Liberties Project, said nondisclosure agreements are extremely problematic from an economic and democratic standpoint
West Memphis City Attorney Mike Stephenson said Google requested an NDA
Laura Landreaux, president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas
The partnership involves Entergy Arkansas, Google, and ICF working together to deliver energy efficiency improvements
Katie Ottenweller, regional head of energy market development at Google, said the Community Energy Advisory Council ensures the West Memphis Energy Impact Fund remains rooted in local needs
West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon participated in the event
Google is building a data center in West Memphis
Google will partner with ICF and Entergy Arkansas to support approximately 200 residents whose homes need critical pre weatherization repairs
Katie Ottenweller, regional head of energy market development for Google, said the most effective community investments are grounded in true partnership and expressed thrall at announcing first partners
Katie Ottenweller, Lead of Energy Market Development for U.S. Eastern Region at Google, spoke during the event
West Memphis mayor says Google and Buc ee's projects are moving as scheduled
Drew Marsh, Chair and CEO, Entergy, says Google's investment will put Arkansas at the forefront of American innovation as the new facility joins Google's global network
Governor of Arkansas
Governor Sarah Sanders says West Memphis is a hardworking community that deserves the resources and recognition brought by Google's investment
Andrew Marsh, Entergy Corp. CEO, says the partnership drives economic development and builds communities
Google offering no cost access to Google AI courses and Career Certificates for all Arkansas residents in partnership with Arkansas Department of Commerce
Entergy Arkansas President and CEO Laura Landreaux said Google's investment will bring unprecedented economic opportunity to Arkansas
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Governor of Arkansas, says there is no better place for this investment than in West Memphis
Governor of Arkansas
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Google's investment is the largest capital investment in Arkansas history
Drew Marsh, chair and CEO of Entergy
Entergy Arkansas partnering to power the project
West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon said the project will bring high tech jobs and benefits to the community
Marco McClendon, Mayor of West Memphis, says the Google data center is the biggest investment in the state of Arkansas
Marco McClendon, West Memphis Mayor
Google will use local union workers for construction contract work
Disclosed figures
nothing disclosed by 1 record
Power, water, jobs and tax
| Figure | Disclosed total | Disclosed | Not disclosed | Basis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Not disclosed | 0 | 1 | Not disclosed by any of the 1 record | |
| Water, stated per day | Not disclosed | 0 | 1 | Not disclosed by any of the 1 record | |
| Water, stated per year | Not disclosed | 0 | 1 | Not disclosed by any of the 1 record | |
| Permanent jobs | Not disclosed | 0 | 1 | Not disclosed by any of the 1 record | |
| Tax each year | Not disclosed | 0 | 1 | Not disclosed by any of the 1 record |
Summed only where a record disclosed the figure; a record with no figure adds nothing and is counted as not disclosed. Water is summed per day and per year separately, as the sources stated it, and never converted. A tax claim given as a range is summed at both ends.
By what the facilities are for
| Use | Records | Power | Water | Jobs | Tax each year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed | 1 | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed: power, water, jobs, tax each year |
A record that lists several uses counts once under each. Each cell is the sum over the records with that use, disclosed rows only.
What the facilities are for
No source on file states what any of the 1 tracked facility in Crittenden County is for.
How the facilities are cooled
No source on file states how any of the 1 tracked facility in Crittenden County is cooled.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "Data centers in Crittenden County, Arkansas", https://datacenterrecord.org/states/ar/crittenden-county, updated September 25, 2026.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "Data center records in Crittenden County, Arkansas", https://datacenterrecord.org/states/ar/crittenden-county. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
The rows here are part of the Arkansas export.
For researchers
- Place id
- us/ar/crittenden-county
- Level
- county
- Census GEOID
- Not disclosed
- Rating value
- Not disclosed
- Scale word
- Not disclosed