Our history
It all started with sawdust
It all started with some sawdust, a handshake and a vision. Over a century ago, Harvey Couch had the idea to bring safe, affordable, reliable power to the Middle South — power that would open the door to the modern world for the people and communities we serve. His vision lives on today: Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
1913
Harvey Couch, president of Arkansas Power Company, and H.H. Foster, president of Arkansas Land and Lumber, shake hands on a deal to use Foster’s sawdust as fuel to generate power.
Now called Arkansas Power and Light, or AP&L, Arkansas’ newest endeavor turns on its generators at the lumber company, providing electricity to 22 miles of transmission lines throughout Malvern and Arkadelphia.
1914
1922
New Orleans Public Service Inc., or NOPSI, is established as the sole provider of electricity, gas and transit service in New Orleans.
Mississippi Power and Light Company, or MP&L, is formed.
1923
1924
Remmel Dam in Arkansas, Couch’s first hydroelectric project, is completed. It is still in operation today.
Louisiana Power Company, or LP&C, is formed to finance, build and operate the Sterlington Generating Station, which will come online in a year.
1924
1925
Couch sells part of MP&L to Electric Power and Light Corporation, or EP&L, a subsidiary of the Electric Bond and Share Company, a national utility holding company. Couch’s companies combine with EBASCO. Gulf States Utilities Company, or GSUC, is incorporated in Texas.
Louisiana Power and Light Company, or LP&L, is created as part of EP&L.
1927
1933
EP&L becomes a founding member of the Edison Electric Institute.
The Public Utility Hold Company Act is enacted, breaking up multilevel holding companies like EBASCO.
1935
1941
Harvey Couch dies on July 30, 1941. He was 63 years old.
The Rex Brown Plant, named after then MP&L President Rex Brown, is completed and becomes the first large source of electricity generation in Mississippi.
1948
1949
With headquarters in New York, Middle South Utilities Inc., or MSU, is formed as a holding company for AP&L, LP&L MP&L and NOPSI. The company’s common stock begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange on May 31. Edgar Dixon is named as the first chief executive of the company, which serves over 625,000 customers in more than 1,600 communities in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
1961
1962
Gerald Andrus succeeds Edgar Dixon as MSU’s leader.
Hurricane Betsy destroys 90% of the company’s system in New Orleans, leaving all of LP&L’s customers in southern Louisiana without power.
1965
1969
MSU now serves more than 1 million customers.
AP&L’s Arkansas Nuclear One becomes the first nuclear power plant to operate in the Southeast.
1974
1975
MSU’s corporate headquarters moves from New York to New Orleans.
White Bluff Plant in Arkansas becomes MSU’s first coal-powered unit.
1980
1985
Edwin Lupberger becomes MSU’s chief executive after Floyd Lewis retires. The company’s Grand Gulf One and Waterford 3 nuclear plants enter commercial operation.
The company officially changes its name to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. The name Entergy is a composite of the words “enterprise,” “energy” and “synergy,” three qualities that described the company’s new approach to navigating the rapidly evolving marketplace.
1989
1993
Entergy merges with Gulf States Utilities Company, adding River Bend Station as its fourth nuclear site. Entergy now serves more than 2.3 million customers.
1994
1998
Entergy begins northeastern expansion with the purchase of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The company holds its first Low-Income Summit to help low- and middle-income customers.
1999
2000
The Entergy Charitable Foundation is established to focus on low-income initiatives, education and literacy programs.
Entergy acquires two nuclear plants in New York: Indian Point ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Center Unit 3 and James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant. The company also acquires TLG Services Inc., a leader in nuclear power decommissioning.
2000
2001
Entergy becomes the country’s first utility to pledge to hold greenhouse gas emissions to year 2000 levels. The company purchases Indian Point Unit 2 in New York.
Entergy begins managing Cooper Nuclear Station in Nebraska and acquires Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vermont.
2002
2005
Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast, leaving 1.1 million Entergy customers without power. Twenty-six days later, Hurricane Rita leaves 800,000 Entergy customers in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas in the dark.
Entergy’s corporate headquarters returns to New Orleans midyear after nine months in Clinton, Mississippi, as a result of Hurricane Katrina. CEO J. Wayne Leonard is elected chairman of the board.
2006
2007
Entergy acquires Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan. The company forms Entergy Wholesale Commodities group to integrate non-utility generating assets.
Leo Denault (right) succeeds J. Wayne Leonard as chairman of the board and chief executive officer.
2013
2013
Entergy celebrates its 100th anniversary, and the book “We Power Life: Entergy’s first century,” written by Heidi Tyline King, is published to celebrate this milestone.
Entergy joins the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, a regional transmission organization.
2013
2014
After 42 years of safe and reliable operations, Vermont Yankee is removed from the grid and will later be sold to NorthStar Group Services in 2019 for accelerated decommissioning.
Entergy sells the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant to Exelon Corporation.
2017
2019
Entergy begins installing advanced meters for 3 million customers throughout its service area. The new technology allows for faster detection of outages and greater insight into energy usage.
Entergy sells the subsidiary that owns the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to a Holtec International Subsidiary.
2019
2020
Entergy’s power plant in St. Charles Parish is renamed the J. Wayne Leonard Power Station in recognition of Entergy’s late chairman and CEO. Louisiana’s Lake Charles Power Station begins commercial operations, and Indian Point Unit 2 in New York is shut down after more than 45 years of operation.
As the COVID-19 pandemic takes a significant toll on communities and economies across the globe, Entergy enhances its local business partnerships to play a role in sustaining communities and restoring economic prosperity.
2020
2020
Entergy Louisiana partners with Edison Chouest Offshore to launch Shore Power, the electrification of marine vessels at port to help more customers access clean electricity in a cost-effective manner.
Entergy commits to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 by adding renewable energy resources and storage, investing in its utility-owned nuclear facilities and collaborating with others to advance innovation and adopt emerging technologies.
2020
2021
Entergy completes the sale of Indian Point ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Center in New York to a Holtec International subsidiary.
2021
2021
Hurricane Ida makes landfall Aug. 29 as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Ida’s historic intensity causes severe damage to Entergy’s systems, resulting in a peak of 948,000 outages in Louisiana and Mississippi. In response to the widespread devastation caused by the storm, Entergy deploys the largest restoration effort it has ever mobilized with more than 28,000 workers from 41 states.
2021
2022
In June, Entergy completes the sale of the Palisades Power Plant to Holtec International to ensure a safe and timely decommissioning of the nuclear site. Palisades was permanently shut down in May after generating safe, secure and reliable electricity for more than 50 years. The sale completes the last major milestone of Entergy’s multi-year, planned exit from the merchant nuclear power business.
2022
2022
Drew Marsh (right) succeeds Leo Denault as chair of the board and chief executive officer.
Entergy announced as the founding partner of the Super Bowl LIX Host Committee, with Executive Vice President and General Counsel Marcus Brown serving as its chairman. The Host Committee works in partnership with the NFL and other stakeholders to create an unforgettable experience for all who will attend Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in 2025.
2023
2024
Entergy Mississippi announces plans to provide power to support the single largest capital investment in state history – a $10 billion planned investment by Amazon Web Services Inc., an Amazon.com Inc. company, which will bring new jobs and economic development opportunities to the state.
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta announces it will build a $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in northeast Louisiana, a transformational investment that cements the state’s status as a major innovation hub and puts this picturesque rural community on the leading edge of a global digital revolution.
2024
