Hilda Cox
July 26, 2016
Chamber staying busy promoting area business
July 27, 2016
It appears deceptively simple, so much so that it is built into us as second nature.
The flip of a switch or the push of a plug. Instant light. Instant television. No need for a second thought.
But that wasn’t the case when the 19th century was turning into the 20th, and Arkansas businessman Harvey Couch in Arkansas, when investor Harvey Couch began supplying a new form of power called electricity to the towns of Arkadelphia and Malvern, a process he improved upon by partnering with lumberman H.H. Foster, creating the Arkansas Light & Power Company.
A series of mergers and milestones in years to come built the grid that now serves the Bayou Region, and the growth of the company that supplies power to much of it. Louisiana Power and Light, New Orleans Public Service or NOPSI are among the companies that eventually melded into Entergy, now a global energy supplier and a leader in operating and decommissioning nuclear power plants.
Hurricanes and floods, wars and economic depressions all have shaped the history of Entergy in one way or another, sometimes providing lessons hard-earned, sometimes fostering innovation that has led to greater ability to provide service. Through five separate corporate entities, Entergy Corporation delivers electricity to nearly 3 million customers in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. The power plants Entergy owns and operates have about 30,000 mw of electric generating capacity and within that figure are nearly 10,000 mw of nulear power. Its annual revenues stand at about $11.5 billion and the company employs more than 13,000 people.
Spokesman Michael Burns expresses pride in the company’s record of providing safety, comfort and convenience to customers. But he says the company also fuels a different kind of power.
“The human power that comes from working together to improve lives, create opportunities and strengthen the communities we serve in the Bayou Region and all of Louisiana,” Burns said. “It’s both an exciting and challenging time for those who live and work in Louisiana. We are proud to work closely with communities, businesses, industries and government leaders to help this region achieve its tremendous economic potential and build a better tomorrow for all. By helping attract new businesses to the state and helping existing businesses expand, we are able to create long-term opportunities for companies as well as the communities in which they operate.”
Burns said that toward the end of maintaining good corporate citizenship and strengthening the places where it provides service, Entergy has made great investments that last year included $7.75 million in grants “to enhance educational opportunities, protect the environment and provide resources for low-in-come customers throughout Louisiana.”
“We’ve taken a leading role in working to build a more resilient Gulf Coast. The company has funded groundbreaking research, participated in public education efforts, supported work to rebuild vanishing wetlands,” Burns said. “The company is currently working with long-time partner Tierra Resources to scale up a pilot project conducted in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes — aerial planting of mangrove trees. Mangroves are good for stabilizing salt marsh areas because of their substantial root systems, some of which stick above ground like a cypress tree. These root structures not only offer stability to the plant against storm waves but also are good at trapping sediment to help the plants keep up with sea level rise.”
Entergy also helped fund Tierra Resources’ development of a methodology used to equate coastal wetlands with carbon credits that could be sold to fund future restoration. That methodology was certified in 2012.
“In addition, as an extension of the climate-change adaptation study unveiled in 2010, Entergy and America’s WETLAND Foundation sponsored 11 outreach forums in coastal communities — including Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes — addressed in the study,” Burns said. “Spanning 14 months and 5 states, the forums brought more than 1,100 leaders and community representatives together for a dialogue on local coastal issues and specific vulnerabilities.”
Moving toward the future, Burns said the company plans to invest $4.5 billion through 2018 in its Louisiana infrastructure.
Two planned 495 mw power units slated for the Union Power Station outside El Dorado, Ark are part of those plans. A 980 mw combined gas-turbine unit in St. Charles Parish is also in the works.
“We remain committed to providing superior customer service,” Burns said. “We continue to explore solutions that will meet our customers’ changing expectations in the evolving landscape of the utility industry. By introducing new technologies and renewable energy resources, we can build a grid that is cleaner, more resilient and affordable and provides innovative opportunities in the way we interact and generate power for the benefit of all of our customers.”
Entergy provides electricty to countless homes in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. The company has experienced a great deal of change in its lengthy history.
