Data centers in Mississippi

📜 State laws

Amazon data center law (SB 2001, 2024 special session): secret power contract, no Public Service Commission approval · Jan 30, 2024
Lawmakers passed SB 2001 in a special session in January 2024, and the governor signed it on January 30, 2024. It gave tax breaks and state money for Amazon's $10 billion data center project in Madison County. It also lets the power company (Entergy Mississippi) sign a 'large customer supply and service agreement' with the project. The Public Service Commission does not have to approve this contract, and it cannot change or cancel it for its whole length. The contract, including all power charges, is treated as a trade secret and is kept out of public records. The law also lets Entergy start charging customers for new power lines and plants built for the project before they are finished, and counts some of that spending as 'used and useful' even before permits are granted. These power rules apply only to this one project as the law defines it. Source

Mississippi Energy Infrastructure Fund (HB 1393, 2026) · April 8, 2026
HB 1393 was signed on April 8, 2026. It creates a state fund run by the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA). MDA can give grants or loans to local governments for power projects that help bring in big new businesses, and data centers are one of the business types listed. The money can pay for things like transformers and substations ordered early, new power lines and pipelines, and land for power lines. A power company cannot get the money directly. MDA alone decides who gets it. The law ends on July 1, 2029. Source

Brandon and West Rankin Utility Authority may make water deals with a data center (SB 3410, 2026) · April 8, 2026
SB 3410 was signed on April 8, 2026. It lets the City of Brandon and the West Rankin Utility Authority sign contracts with a data center developer for water and sewer pipes, pumps and treatment. The developer pays back the cost of building them. The deals can send treated wastewater ('reclaimed water') to the data center for cooling. Contracts can last up to 30 years and can be renewed. This law covers only Brandon and the West Rankin Utility Authority in Rankin County. Source

2025 bills to change data center tax break rules died · March 29, 2025
In 2025, HB 1239 and SB 3168 would have changed the definitions and rules for data center tax breaks. HB 1239 died in conference on March 29, 2025, and SB 3168 died in a House committee. HB 1184, which would have let power companies sign special large customer contracts with other MDA-approved projects, died on the House calendar. Source

Bill to give more notice of zoning hearings and more time to appeal died (SB 2893, 2026) · March 30, 2026
SB 2893 would have required notice of zoning hearings 30 days and 15 days before the hearing, online and in the newspaper, and would have given people 20 days instead of 10 to appeal a zoning decision to circuit court. It died in conference on March 30, 2026. A House bill on the same topic (HB 984) died in committee. The old rules still apply. Source

💡 Who pays for the power

Do data centers raise Entergy Mississippi bills? Both sides disagree · May 28, 2026
A May 2026 report paid for by Earthjustice and Environmental Advocates Mississippi estimated that Entergy Mississippi home customers already pay about $10.60 more per month because of data center investments, about $38 million in total as of March 2026. The report says this is an estimate, because the Amazon contract is secret. Entergy says customers are not paying for data centers and that home bills will be about $30 a month lower by 2030 than they would be without data center growth. Source

2026 Entergy Mississippi rate plan · Aug 2026
Entergy says the Public Service Commission approved its yearly rate plan in 2026, and that this stopped a $4.87 per month increase that would otherwise have started in July. Entergy says money from data centers made this possible, and promises more than $2 billion in customer savings over 20 years ('Fair Share Plus' pledge, March 2026). These are the company's own numbers. Source

Can a data center build its own power plant? The Public Service Commission did not decide · May 29, 2026
Prado AI Industrial asked the Public Service Commission to say that a 350-megawatt gas power plant it wants to build in Ridgeland, only for its own campus and tenants, would not make it a regulated power company. Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power opposed this. In late May 2026, the commission declined to rule, calling the request 'premature' and 'hypothetical.' So the question is still open under state law. Source

💵 Tax breaks

State tax breaks for data centers · July 1, 2019
A data center approved by the Mississippi Development Authority can skip state sales and use tax on building materials and equipment for 10 years, and can also be excused from state income and franchise taxes. To qualify, it must invest at least $20 million and create at least 20 full-time jobs paying 125% of the average state wage. In 2019 lawmakers lowered these rules from $50 million, 50 jobs and 150%. MDA signs a contract with the company that lets the state take back the breaks if it does not meet its promises, and reviews it each year. Source

Local property tax deals (fee in lieu of taxes) · July 29, 2026
Counties and cities can sign a 'fee in lieu of taxes' deal, so a big project pays a set fee instead of full property taxes, in some cases as little as one third. According to Mississippi Today, these deals can last up to 30 years for one company. The Mississippi Development Authority board gives final approval. Under the 2024 Amazon law, Madison County expects Amazon to start paying an estimated $28 million in 2027, tied to job and investment goals. Source

🤐 Secret deals and public records

Mississippi Public Records Act: anyone can ask · Oct 7, 2026
Any person can ask a city, county or state agency for public records. You do not have to live in Mississippi. The office must answer within 7 working days, or 14 working days if it explains in writing why it needs more time. It can charge the real cost of searching and copying. If it says no, it must name the legal reason in writing. If you are denied, you can file a complaint with the Mississippi Ethics Commission. Source

Records about business deals can be kept secret for years · March 12, 2025
Since 2025 (HB 917), any public body, not just the Mississippi Development Authority, can keep records with 'client information' about an economic development project out of public view for 4 years (before it was 2 years). Confidential details are also held back while a deal is being negotiated and until 30 days after it is approved, turned down or dropped, which the body can stretch to up to 1 year in writing. This is why data center projects often use code names until they are announced. Source

The Amazon power contract is secret by law · Jan 30, 2024
The 2024 Amazon law (SB 2001) says the power contract between Entergy Mississippi and the project, including all charges, amendments and renewals, is a trade secret and cannot be released under the Public Records Act. Even the length of the contract is not public. The Public Service Commission can still review whether Entergy's spending was prudent before customers pay for it, according to Commissioner De'Keither Stamps. Source

💧 Water

Who approves big water use · Oct 7, 2026
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Office of Land and Water Resources, issues permits to take water from rivers, lakes or wells. Anyone who plans to use surface water or groundwater must tell MDEQ and may need a permit. MDEQ asks for applications at least two months ahead. For surface water, MDEQ publishes a notice in a local newspaper. Since July 1, 2026 there is no fee for these permits. Many data centers buy water from a city or utility instead; then the city's deal decides, as in Brandon's 2026 law. Source

🌫️ Air and generators

Who approves gas turbines and diesel generators · April 10, 2026
MDEQ staff write air permits, and the MDEQ Permit Board votes on them. The board has nine members, mostly heads of state agencies, and usually meets at 9 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in Jackson. In March 2026 it approved an air permit for 41 permanent gas turbines at xAI's site in Southaven. Groups including the NAACP asked MDEQ for an evidentiary hearing to reverse it. Separately, the NAACP sued xAI in April 2026 under the Clean Air Act, saying it ran turbines without permits. Source

🙋 How to have your say

Who decides a data center near you · Oct 7, 2026
Mississippi has cities, towns, villages and counties. There are no townships. A city's mayor and board of aldermen, or city council, decides zoning inside city limits, usually after the planning commission gives advice. Outside cities, the county board of supervisors decides, but only if the county has zoning; some counties have none, so no rezoning vote is needed there. The state's environmental agency (MDEQ) decides air and water permits, and the Public Service Commission oversees Entergy Mississippi's and Mississippi Power's rates. Source

Zoning hearings: watch for a 15-day notice · Oct 7, 2026
A city or county must hold a public hearing before it changes zoning. The notice must appear in the local newspaper at least 15 days before the hearing (Section 17-1-17). Anyone can speak at the hearing. A 2026 bill to require 30 days' notice and online notice died. Source

Appeal a decision within 10 days · Oct 7, 2026
If you disagree with a decision by a city council, board of aldermen or county board of supervisors, you can appeal to circuit court. You must file a written notice of appeal with the circuit clerk within 10 days of the meeting where the decision was made (Section 11-51-75). This deadline is very short, so plan ahead and talk to a lawyer early. Source

Comment on an air permit · Oct 7, 2026
MDEQ posts public notices for draft air permits and may hold a public hearing, as it did for xAI's Southaven turbines in February 2026. After the Permit Board votes, people who disagree can ask for an evidentiary hearing before the board, as groups did in April 2026. Source

Ask for records · Oct 7, 2026
Send a written request to the city, county or agency. Ask for agendas, minutes, contracts, tax deals (fee in lieu agreements), water and sewer agreements, and any secret deal (NDA). Anyone can ask. They must answer within 7 working days (up to 14). Some business deal records can be held back for up to 4 years. If denied, complain to the Mississippi Ethics Commission. Source

Speak to the state AI task force and lawmakers · July 14, 2026
The Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Regulation Task Force, created in 2025 and co-chaired by Rep. Jill Ford, held two days of hearings on data centers in July 2026 with 19 speakers. It is expected to send suggestions to the Legislature before the 2027 session, which starts in January. You can contact your state House member and senator. Source

🧾 Help with your bills

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) · Oct 7, 2026
Help paying heating and cooling bills. Apply through your local community action agency, run with the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS). If you get a cut-off notice, apply right away. Source

📞 Who to contact

Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) · Oct 7, 2026
Three elected commissioners. Sets rates for Entergy Mississippi, Mississippi Power and other regulated utilities, and approves big new power plants and power lines. Posts monthly dockets and meeting agendas. It does not approve data center buildings and does not approve the Amazon contract. Source

Mississippi Public Utilities Staff · Oct 7, 2026
State staff that reviews utility filings and speaks for the public interest in Public Service Commission cases. Source

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) · Oct 7, 2026
Air permits (generators, gas turbines), water withdrawal permits, stormwater and wastewater permits. Its Permit Board votes on permits monthly. Source

Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) · Oct 7, 2026
The state's business recruiting agency. Approves data center tax breaks and fee in lieu deals, and runs the 2026 Energy Infrastructure Fund. Source

Mississippi Ethics Commission · Oct 7, 2026
Takes complaints when a public body refuses public records or breaks the open meetings law. Source

Mississippi Department of Human Services, Community Services · Oct 7, 2026
Runs LIHEAP energy bill help through local community action agencies. Source

Mississippi Legislature · Oct 7, 2026
Bill status and text for all sessions. The 2027 regular session starts in January 2027. Source