Mississippi governor says data center deals protect ratepayers, deliver savings
The Mississippi governor said in a Facebook post that major data center investments will not raise utility rates for customers and will produce billions in savings, citing agreements with Amazon and Entergy.
The governor wrote that the first conversations about major data center capital investments began in December 2019, after he won the gubernatorial election but before he was sworn in as the state’s 65th governor. He said state officials researched the projects, consulted industry leaders and listened to community leaders with experience on similar projects.
He said negotiations led by Bill Cork and Entergy Mississippi President Haley Fisackerly included a firm commitment that ratepayers would not be negatively affected financially. He said Amazon agreed to the approach and that state lawmakers structured the Mississippi Major Economic Impact Act and worked with the Mississippi Public Service Commission to prevent rate increases for everyday consumers.
The governor said Entergy announced $2 billion in expected long-term savings for Mississippi ratepayers tied to the economic growth that helped make the state the second-fastest-growing economy in the U.S. in 2024. He also noted Entergy’s announcement of about $5 billion in total projected savings for 2.3 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi over the next 20 years after regulatory approval or acknowledgement by the public service commissions in those states.
The governor urged confidence in the state’s approach to economic development and wrote that Mississippi will continue to build technology infrastructure. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
