Entergy Sues News Outlets Over Leaked Google Solar Deal

Entergy Arkansas filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction to prevent the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Arkansas Times from publishing confidential details of an agreement with Google. The utility company claims that non-public documents were disclosed in error via a public records request and used in a story published August 31.

The leaked records reveal that Google will pay Entergy Arkansas $526 million toward the construction of Cypress Solar, a $1.6 billion solar and battery facility near Pine Bluff in Jefferson County. The project, which includes a 600-megawatt solar field and a 350-megawatt battery storage system, is designed to power a $4 billion data center in West Memphis. Google is also paying $190 million for transmission system upgrades.

Under the 20-year agreement, Alphabet Inc. guarantees a potential termination fee of approximately $2 billion for contract breaches during the first 13 years. The documents further indicate that Google's payments are not classified as contributions in aid of construction, a designation that typically lowers costs for other utility customers. Consequently, Entergy residential customers have already seen a $5.77 monthly rate increase to help fund the project.

The Cypress Solar facility is slated for completion by the fourth quarter of 2028, while the data center is expected to begin electric service in February 2027 and reach full capacity by October 2029. Judge Lee Rudofsky scheduled a hearing for the restraining order at the federal courthouse in Little Rock.