The bill is already here
A new report says Vicksburg households are already paying more for electricity because of Amazon data centers. The increase is not a future projection. It is happening now.
A May 28 report by Synapse Energy Economics Inc. estimates that Amazon’s data center projects across Mississippi have already raised monthly power bills for residential customers by $10.60. The researchers estimated that Entergy Mississippi has charged residential customers a total of about $38 million for data center investments as of March.
Vicksburg is one of four Mississippi cities where Amazon announced a data center since 2024, alongside Ridgeland, Canton, and Clinton.
"Based on, you know, all of the publicly available evidence, we are quite confident that rates have increased because of data center investments," Ben Havumaki, a principal associate with Synapse, told Mississippi Today.
The law that changed the rules
In 2024, the Mississippi Legislature passed Senate Bill 2001. The law allowed Entergy and Amazon to bypass normal regulatory processes. It also kept the company’s agreement with Entergy hidden from public view.
Havumaki said the law created an unusually frictionless path for the utility to make investments on behalf of data centers. Normally, utilities must go before the regulatory commission and make a public case for an investment before recovering costs through rates.
"That usually would occur in public with transparency and reasonable vetting from other parties. In this case, a lot of that is just shrouded in regulatory cover and secrecy," Havumaki said.
What Amazon and Entergy say
Entergy Mississippi pushed back against the report. In a statement, the utility said residential customers "are not subsidizing data centers" but are "benefiting from them."
The company pointed to independent regulators in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana as confirmation that data centers are paying their fair share. Entergy also projected that by 2030, residential bills would be 16 percent, or about $30, lower than they would have been without Amazon’s investment.
Amazon echoed that position in a statement to Mississippi Today.
"We pay the full cost of the power and infrastructure we use through long-term investments in transmission, substations, grid upgrades, and new energy generation that help strengthen the broader grid for everyone," an Amazon spokesperson wrote.
The human cost
The average monthly electricity bill in Mississippi was $157 in 2024, according to the Synapse report. That means the estimated $10.60 increase represents roughly 6.7 percent of a typical household’s monthly power cost.
The report was commissioned by Earthjustice and Environmental Advocates Mississippi, groups that have raised concerns about the environmental impact of data centers across the state.
"What we are seeing in other states is that people are dealing with the fallout. They are dealing with their energy bills increasing significantly. Their water infrastructure is being strained," said Dr. Erin Shirley Orey, a member of Environmental Advocates of Mississippi, according to a WAPT report.
What comes next
Amazon is looking to invest $25 billion across Mississippi, creating an estimated 2,000 jobs. State leaders have touted the economic impact of the projects, including grid investment and job training.
But the Synapse report stresses that the $10.60 figure is an estimate. Much of the information behind Entergy’s agreement with Amazon remains unavailable to the public because of Senate Bill 2001.
The Mississippi Public Service Commission, a three-member agency tasked with regulating utilities, has not released additional data on the matter.