Entergy Announces $37B Clean Energy Investment Plan
The $37 billion investment plan is for clean energy, grid upgrades, and reliability.
Demand from data centres of larger companies is growing exponentially.
The US-based electricity and gas services provider Entergy has announced a $37 billion investment through 2028 to modernise power systems and help burgeoning industries across the Gulf South.
The object of this massive investment policy is to produce more green energy, strengthen the electric grid, and meet the growing requirements of businesses, particularly large data centres in Louisiana.
Making Power Grid More Reliable
The company will set aside $16 billion to upgrade its transmission and distribution systems. The money will help make the grid more resilient and reduce power outages caused by extreme weather events. Entergy says that without the upgrade, people, especially vulnerable ones, have to face exorbitant costs and longer hours without power during emergencies.
Energy Demand Skyrocketing
Industrial energy use, mainly from data centres, is likely to surge by 12-13% yearly. To meet this demand, the company is already part of energy supply projects for bigger companies, like Meta and Amazon, in Louisiana and Mississippi.
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Clean Energy a Principal Focus
Green energy is a top priority of the plan, with an addition of more than 5,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power by 2028. Recently, five new solar facilities were announced in Arkansas and Louisiana, generating a combined supply of about 700 MW of renewable energy to the grid. It also stakes a claim to operating one of the cleanest large-scale power fleets in the US.
Natural Gas in Energy Mix
For a steady energy supply, new natural gas power plants, including the Delta Blues Advanced Power Station in Mississippi and the Orange County Advanced Power Station in Texas, will be built to support the grid as demand spikes.
Entergy Chairman and CEO Drew Marsh said: "Without strengthening and modernizing the electric grid, all customers would face a greater financial burden and disruption when storms cause significant damage and longer power outages.
"But the burden would be more keenly felt by those who are most vulnerable. Our four-year capital plan includes $16 billion in transmission and distribution improvements to support greater resilience and reliability of service."
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Source: Entergy
