In our 100-year history of providing reliable and affordable power to Mississippians, no area has a chapter in our story like that of the Rex Brown Cooling Pond. The chapter, which we’ve officially finished by returning the property back to Jackson Public Schools, played a critical role in keeping the lights on for thousands of homes and businesses.

Commonly known to the community as Lake Hico, the Rex Brown Cooling Pond was created in the 1950’s to supply a pipeline from the Pearl River to Entergy Mississippi’s (formerly Mississippi Power & Light) . This pump system allowed us to safely recirculate water to the plant and continue generating electricity at Rex Brown until the plant’s retirement in 2019.

Older Jacksonians might recall fishing, or even taking a dip in the body of water. That’s because up until 1960’s environmental laws were enacted, industrial cooling ponds could coexist as recreational facilities. Similarly, in 1961 MP&L adopted hard hats as essential gear for line workers. The focus on the safety of worksites and communities clearly took a turn for good during that decade.

Though the plant sat on Entergy property, the cooling pond was on 16^th section land, managed by JPS. Without the cooling pond the plant’s 71-year legacy could not have been, and for that we are thankful for a decades-long relationship as a tenant to the school district.

When we made the decision to retire Rex Brown and invest in more modern, reliable power generation, we knew that closing the plant would make Lake Hico an attractive site for future community or economic development. So, with the approval of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, we got to work on a plan to appropriately close the lake and return the land to its original state.

We’ve imploded what was left of Rex Brown, so that it wouldn’t be an eyesore or safety hazard. We’ve drained the lake and completed soil testing to ensure its safety for future use. We’ve even updated fencing, so the land is secured while its destiny is decided.

Recently, JPS has held community forums to gather suggestions on what the next phase of Lake Hico should be. No matter the final decision, Entergy Mississippi eagerly looks forward to serving the development in its new Northside Drive home.

Thank you, Lake Hico, for once being our home too.

JACKSON, Miss. – It was the end of an era the morning of Thursday, July 28. That’s when Entergy Mississippi imploded the remainder of the Rex Brown Steam Electric Station, a natural gas-fired plant that served the company’s customers for 71 years.

The controlled implosion was the final stage of the demolition of the generating facility, named for a former Mississippi Power & Light Company president. Entergy retired the plant in 2019 as part of a process to modernize its generating portfolio. In an effort to be a good corporate citizen, the company is removing all traces of the decommissioned plant. Crews have been removing chemicals and equipment, disconnecting power sources and dismantling outlying structures from its prominent site on Jackson’s Northside Drive.

At peak capacity, the Rex Brown plant could generate 676,000 kilowatts of electricity.

“Rex Brown played a crucial role in Entergy being able to meet its obligation to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO. “But as newer, cleaner technologies emerged and the plant neared the end of its useful life, it was time to retire Rex Brown and focus on modernizing our grid to make it even more reliable and resilient for customers now and in the future.”

The land that the plant sat on is Entergy-owned property and will be held by the company for future use. The land that the cooling pond is on is 16^th section property owned by Jackson Public Schools. Entergy leased the property and will return it to JPS in its original state, per JPS’ request.

Entergy Mississippi has been in operation for nearly 100 years. During that time, the company has owned and operated many natural gas-fired generating plants, as well as Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. As the older plants, such as Rex Brown, reached the end of their natural lives the company has taken steps to replace their generating capacity:

• . In May, construction was complete on a 100-megawatt renewable solar power station in the Mississippi Delta. It will provide clean energy to Entergy Mississippi’s 461,000 customers.
• . “Economic Development with Green ���ϳԹ���” is a program announced last year that will replace some aging natural gas plants with 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy, such as solar, over the next five years. The program’s strategy is two-fold: give Mississippi an edge in recruiting industry while also giving Entergy customers a hedge against volatile natural gas prices. It will be the largest expansion of renewable power in state history.
• . Entergy purchased this clean, modern 810-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas turbine unit in 2019.
• . Entergy joined the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, a regional transmission organization, in 2013. MISO operates sophisticated markets for the purchase and sale of electricity, and membership has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in savings to Entergy Mississippi customers to date as well as increased reliability.
• Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. In 2012, Entergy upgraded its nuclear plant to increase its output of power to more than 1,440 megawatts and purchased additional output from Entergy Arkansas. The company also won approval to extend the license to operate the plant through 2044.
• . Entergy purchased this clean, modern 450-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas turbine unit in 2012.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 461,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ���, an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.

The process began in May and will last through the end of the year.

The two-unit plant went into service in 1951. It could burn fuel oil or natural gas, but burned natural gas for most of its years of generating electricity. The plant was retired from service in 2013.

The facility was named for Hamilton “Ham” Moses, who was attorney for Harvey Couch, founder of Arkansas Power & Light (later Entergy Arkansas). Moses succeeded Couch as president of AP&L when Couch died in 1941. Read in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

The plant is visible from Highway 70 about five miles west of Forrest City. The task currently underway in Phase 1 is the construction of an airtight envelope around the plant prior to meticulously and safely removing certain materials, primarily asbestos, from the structures within the containment areas. This phase will run through the summer. Then the tent will come down for Phase 2 and heavy equipment will dismantle what’s left of the structures, shearing all metal components into pieces small enough to transport by truck for recycling.

Phase 1 of the project involves up to 70 specially trained and equipped employees of Brandenburg, to which Entergy Arkansas has contracted the work. The workforce will be reduced when the scrapping operation begins. At that point, 4-5 truckloads of scrap metal per day will be transported from the site for recycling.

When the project is completed, the property will be considered a “brownfield” site, suitable for other uses. The only utility item that will remain will be a substation, which is actually a new facility completed in June of 2019.

Entergy Arkansas, LLC, provides electricity to approximately 700,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ��� (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.

At 11 a.m., a series of strategically placed charges toppled three major structures – two boilers and a smokestack – onto to their sides. Today’s event was part of a 13-month process of demolishing and removing the historic plant.

The Couch Plant is on Highway 82 East, just east of Stamps in Lafayette County. The plant is the namesake of Harvey C. Couch, who in 1913 founded the company that would eventually become Entergy Arkansas. Couch, an entrepreneurial legend in his day, was born in 1877 and raised in southwest Arkansas. The Couch Plant was dedicated the same year Couch died, 1943. He is buried 18 miles away in Magnolia.

The plant consists of two units. Unit 1, rated at 30-megawatts, was built in 1942 and retired in 2011. Unit 2, rated at 130 megawatts, was built in 1954 and retired in 2013. Both could burn either fuel oil or natural gas.

Except for one office building on the property and a still-functioning substation, all structures will be scrapped and removed from the site over the next several months.

The plant was retired from service as part of modernizing the company’s generating portfolio to match ongoing and projected supply needs. In the last five years Entergy Arkansas has retired 15 of its generating units. In the last 12 years, the company has added about 30 percent in generation capacity in modern-technology natural-gas-fired plants. Other new generation resources include an 81-megawatt solar facility in Stuttgart, which came online earlier this year, and a 100-megawatt solar facility in Lake Village, which is currently under construction.

“It’s sad to do away with the plant named after the man who created the company,” said Laura Landreaux, president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas, Inc. “But Harvey Couch was all about progress and building for the future, so I know he’d be proud to see that things are moving forward just as they should.” She added, “This is just one of the many steps in modernizing our part of the electrical grid and, at the same time, making this space available for something productive.”

Residents near the Couch Plant were notified several days in advance to expect to hear a significant explosion the morning of Dec. 14. To ensure public safety, Entergy Arkansas established and secured a perimeter around the blast area.

Entergy Arkansas provides electricity to approximately 700,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ���, an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.

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