Solar

Entergy Louisiana seeks approval to add 225 MW of new solar

Entergy Louisiana seeks approval to add 225 MW of new solar
Entergy Louisiana is purchasing the power generated by Capital Region Solar, a 50-megawatt solar plant constructed in West Baton Rouge Parish, under a 20-year agreement with Helios Infrastructure, a joint venture between Nationwide and Sol Systems. (Courtesy: Entergy Louisiana)

Entergy Louisiana has filed a request with state regulators to approve the purchase, construction, and operation of nearly 225 MW of new solar power resources.

The request includes a 175 MW project in Iberville Parish and a 49 MW project in Ouachita Parish.

Under Entergy Louisiana’s proposal before the Commission, the company would enter a 20-year purchase power agreement with Coastal Prairie Solar, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, for energy produced by its solar facility to be built in Iberville Parish.

Additionally, Entergy Louisiana would build and operate what would become the Sterlington Solar Facility in Ouachita Parish.

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If approved, construction would tentatively begin in the spring of 2024 with the Iberville facility fully operational in late 2025. The Iberville facility would be followed by the Sterlington Solar Facility, which is expected to deliver clean power to the grid in early 2026.

The proposal also includes a request for authorization to include the new solar resources within the recently approved green tariff Geaux Green Option, or Rider GGO. This is a voluntary program that allows customers the opportunity to subscribe to, and get benefits from, renewable energy resources.

Entergy Louisiana currently has approximately 280 MW of renewable resources, including the Capital Region Solar facility, which began delivering power to the grid in October 2020. 

Along with nuclear generation, nearly 25% of the company’s portfolio comes from renewable resources. In addition, the Commission recently approved 475 MW of solar power. To meet the growing demands of our stakeholders, Entergy Louisiana has several thousand megawatts of renewable capacity in various stages of planning and procurement that will be brought to the Commission for approval in the near future.

In June 2022, Entergy Corporation discussed plans for up to 7 GW of renewable resources by the end of 2025, and as much as 14-17 GW of renewable resources by the end of 2031. The company previously announced a commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.