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    Entergy Utilities adding nearly 1,500 MW of solar in Mississippi, Louisiana service regions

    Nov. 15, 2021
    The proposed, additional solar power will enable customers to achieve sustainability goals
    Solar farm aerial photo courtesy Entergy Corp.
    Solar farm aerial photo courtesy Entergy Corp.

    Two of New Orleans-based Entergy Corp.'s utilities are ramping up significant investments in nearly 1.5 GW of solar capacity.

    Entergy Mississippi plans to replace some aging natural gas plants with 1,000 MW of renewable energy, such as solar, over the next five years. Called EDGE for “Economic Development with Green Energy”, the strategy is two-fold: give Mississippi an edge in recruiting industry while simultaneously giving Entergy customers an effective hedge against volatile natural gas prices.

    “The EDGE plan will provide major benefits to the customers and communities we serve,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO. “Having significant renewable power is as important to large companies as a state’s tax and incentive structure, site availability and labor force.

    Entergy Louisiana will purchase 475 MW of solar power from four facilities in the state, adding to its approximately 240 MW of renewable resources. The firm will buy 150 MW each from the Vacherie Solar Energy Center and Jacques Louisiana Solar in St. James Parish, another 125 MW from the Elizabeth plant in Allen Parish and 50MW from Sunlight Road Solar in Washington Parish.

    Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May said, “These projects will provide clean and affordable energy for our communities and help our customers meet sustainability goals.”

    The utility firm will buy power from the Vacherie, Sunlight Road and Elizabeth solar facilities under 20-year agreements. The St. Jacques solar facility will be under a build-own-transfer agreement, which means the utility will own and maintain that facility once constructed.

    Renewable energy assets developer D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments will build the St. James and Washington Parish sites while Opdenergy will construct the Allen Parish facility.

     The contracts will require approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission and a voluntary Green Tariff for customers to participate at various levels. If the contracts are approved, the customers are expected to receive power from 2024.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.