Haley Fisackerly
- Fisackerly says estimates are no longer that AWS will invest $10 billion into their data centers; the new figure is closer to $16 billion and could go as high as $20 billion.
Entergy Mississippi CEO Haley Fisackerly said Monday that data centers headed to the Magnolia State could benefit residential customers, potentially lowering their energy bills and upgrading infrastructure.
Speaking at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum, Fisackerly said the ABCs of rates are based on the cost of electricity divided by the kilowatt hours (kWh) consumed or sold. For years, he said, the kWh for Entergy has been stagnant. However, with power-gulping data centers, that could change, leading to a residential rate decrease.
Another benefit of the data centers, Fisackerly said, is upgrades in infrastructure. Within the next five years, a third of Entergy’s power generation will be retired, including a coal-fired plant outside the state and another power plant in Mississippi.
Fisackerly said Amazon Web Services’ contract calls for two megawatt stations and one solar plant. While not going into great detail of the contract or AWS electric rates, he said those new plants will be beneficial to Entergy’s customers.
The facility slated for Madison County will also bring in $80 million in ad valorem tax, half of which is marked for schools. Fisackerly told the Capitol Press Corps luncheon that estimates are no longer that AWS will invest $10 billion; the new figure is closer to $16 billion and could go as high as $20 billion.
Additionally, the employment estimate has jumped from 1,000 to north of 2,000 with salaries in the $80,000 per year range, up from the original estimated average of $66,000.
Mississippi officials have said data centers could help drive the future development of the state. as technology companies view the state as a prime location. The ability to provide reliable, affordable electricity is key in attracting data centers and other industries, Fisackerly said.
The CEO added that about seven years ago, Entergy was considering new development sources when data storage came to mind. At the time, Cloud was the latest in technology, but over time, Cloud faded, and data centers became in vogue.
“We needed something transformative,” he said.
Fisackerly added that economic development has changed over the last decade. Today, the key is speed to market. He told the 40-plus people in attendance that providing reliable electricity is becoming more expensive due to several factors, including labor costs, inflation, regulations, and customer expectations.
The weather also plays a major role in delivering power.
“Tornado areas have expanded into Mississippi and Arkansas,” he said. “Winds up to 70 to 80 miles per hour, just pop up out of nowhere.”
Drought also poses problems for power companies, he noted.
For the last 102 years, Entergy has provided electricity to customers, and it will continue to do so. Currently in 45 of the state’s 80 counties with 459,000 customers, Fisackerly said, electricity was once viewed as a novelty.
“It’s not a novelty anymore; it’s a necessity,” he said.
