Entergy Arkansas filed an amended application seeking to raise the planned electricity-demand ceiling and speed up the ramp for Google’s West Memphis data center, according to an October 20, 2026, report by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The utility also proposes two battery-storage projects to support the increased load. The filing date was described as a Monday.
What Entergy’s amended filing proposes
The amended proposal raises Google’s planned maximum demand above 600 megawatts, the ceiling in the earlier plan, and calls for Google to reach its maximum faster. Under that earlier plan, Google was expected to begin taking electric service in 2027 and reach 600 MW by 2029. The new maximum and the revised ramp schedule are redacted in the amended application, the newspaper reported.
A megawatt measures power capacity. Entergy vice president David Palmer described the amendment’s purpose in regulatory filings as increasing Google’s maximum demand and accelerating the pace of its ramp-up. The filing is a proposal to the Arkansas Public Service Commission.
The two planned battery projects
Entergy plans Driver BESS in Mississippi County and Jones Mill BESS in Hot Springs. Entergy vice president Kristin Dalrymple said the planned resources are intended to add grid capacity on a timeline that supports Google’s faster ramp and higher total demand.
| Project | Capacity | Reported planned cost | Location |
| Driver BESS | 250 MW | $389.4 million | Mississippi County, Arkansas |
| Jones Mill BESS | 100 MW | $161.2 million | Hot Springs, Arkansas |
Big Island Solar and the terms under seal
The amended agreement also includes Big Island Solar, a planned 440 MW facility in Mississippi County. The Arkansas Public Service Commission had previously denied Entergy’s application for approval of a power-purchase agreement for the project. Entergy filed a petition seeking reversal.
The newspaper reported that the amended filing keeps several financial and rate details confidential: Google’s contributions toward the battery projects, its payment for additional transmission infrastructure, how its rates are set, and a possible termination fee. Entergy’s application says Google requested highly sensitive treatment for certain competitively sensitive information, including the amended agreement and payment amounts. The filing also says Google is covering the full cost of the additional transmission infrastructure through a construction contribution.
Earlier Arkansas proceedings
A January 29, 2026, analysis by Blackburne Research grouped four Arkansas Public Service Commission proceedings related to the project and surrounding power investments:
- Docket 25-055-P: the special-rate contract for Google.
- Docket 25-054-U: Cypress Solar.
- Docket 25-047-U: Jefferson Power Station.
- Docket 26-001-U: Entergy’s general rate case, which examines the utility’s broader rates.
That docket map provides context for the amended filing: it sits alongside earlier proceedings on Google’s contract, generation projects and Entergy’s overall rates.
