Gov. Reeves outlines a bold strategy to beef up energy production statewide.
On the heels of $20 billion in data center project announcements in the last two years, Gov. Tate Reeves announced the launch of a new initiative on May 1 to make Mississippi a national leader in energy production.
Called Mississippi’s Power Play, the initiative aims to remove red tape, stimulate private sector investment, and turn Mississippi into a model state for energy policy and investment. By allowing for faster permitting, reduced financial risk and new strategic investment within the state, the Power Play promises to be a game-changer for economic development statewide, Reeves said.
“Mississippi’s Power Play will help our state provide businesses with the energy they need to succeed, and deliver affordable, abundant, American energy to Mississippians,” the governor said. “This initiative is critical to continuing our state’s economic momentum. That’s because many of the major economic development projects you’ve heard about in the news were large energy-intensive projects. If we want to win more projects like this, we need to produce more energy in our state. Mississippi’s Power Play will help us attract more private sector investment and create more high-paying jobs for Mississippians.”
A high-level panel of stakeholders from around the state was assembled for the Power Play summit.
Photo courtesy of MDA and the Office of the Governor
The Reeves administration kicked off the Power Play effort by holding a one-day summit in Jackson with energy leaders and government partners from around the state and the country. They met to discuss the following:
- Strategies for the diversification and security of energy sources.
- Enhancing energy infrastructure and logistics.
- Fostering innovation and technology adoption by focusing on developing advanced energy technologies through the support of innovation.
- Addressing regulatory issues to create a more efficient and predictable environment for energy projects.
“The key to Mississippi’s Power Play is effective public-private partnerships,” the governor said. “We’re launching this massive initiative shoulder to shoulder with the private sector and leveraging our shared expertise to innovate in our state. I’d like to thank the energy industry leaders and government partners who attended today’s summit for their invaluable and actionable feedback.”
Electric Utilities Step Up
The governor’s power initiative comes at a time that sees Mississippi expanding its energy generating capacity to serve multiple private capital investment projects. Among them are Amazon Web Services’ $10 billion commitment to build two new data center campuses in Madison County and Compass Datacenters’ $10 billion investment to build a massive AI data center complex in Meridian in Lauderdale County. Entergy Mississippi has committed to build 1 gigawatt of new electricity generating capacity to support AWS, while Mississippi Power will build 500 megawatts of new power for Compass.
In his State of the State Address in January, Gov. Reeves talked about the need to manufacture more power capacity in the state to keep the economic growth engine humming. “We always need more dollars flowing through Mississippi,” he said. “We always need more action in the state of Mississippi. We know how to make that happen. Today, I want to issue a challenge and make a promise that will result in more winning than Mississippi has ever dared to dream. We must be a leader in American energy. We must be at the front of the pack in the race to have more power. In today’s world, power is the key to prosperity. If we can be on the bleeding edge of energy technology, we can beat our peers and bring about more wealth and better lives for all Mississippians.”
Gov. Reeves (center) says the state will pursue a wide variety of energy sources as it works to build Mississippi into an energy powerhouse for growing companies.
Photo courtesy of MDA and the Office of the Governor
In that same speech, the governor made it clear that Mississippi would pursue an “all of the above” approach to energy development. “As demand grows, we must aim higher,” he said. “What we are doing today is not enough. We must invest in energy to enrich our population. When we make power here, we create high-paying, stable jobs. This is how Mississippi rises. It will take all forms of energy and every corner of our economy. We need abundant, affordable energy that feeds ambition and wealth for our citizens.”
Reeves added that his comprehensive approach to energy development would incorporate natural gas, nuclear power, renewable energy sources, technology utilization and other means to increase Mississippi’s total supply of power.
A Reliable and Affordable State
Historically, Mississippi has been known as a state that offers reliable and affordable energy for industrial uses. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Mississippi ranked No. 14 in the nation in February 2025 with an average industrial power cost of 6.88 cents per kilowatt hour. That is cheaper than neighboring states of Alabama and Kentucky and only slightly more than Tennessee.
Mississippi power customers also experience reliability due to the fact that the state offers a surplus of electric power, fresh water, natural gas, transportation fuel infrastructure and a carbon dioxide pipeline system. The state is also not prone to extreme temperatures. The average temperature in January is 48 degrees, and in July it is 81.
The governor said the message to CEOs and site selectors around the world is simple: “One reason Mississippi has attracted a historic run of private investment is our optimistic, abundance-minded energy policy,” he said. “When companies learn they can trust us to provide power to manufacture, smelt and compute, their eyes light up and their wallets open. They invest in our state, our people and our land.”
“When private sector companies learn they can trust that we can provide the power to manufacture, smelt and compute, their eyes light up and their wallets open up. They invest in our state, and our people, and our land.”
— Gov. Tate Reeves
