Entergy Mississippi recently completed a $1.3 million project to update a major transmission pathway coming from the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. The completion of the project supports affordability and significantly lowers the risk of transmission interruptions between Entergy Mississippi’s single largest power resource and the Franklin Substation located in Franklin County, Mississippi.

The project, which was born from a study to find opportunities for improved reliability, included replacing two transmission line structures outside the substation, and reconfiguring equipment inside of it.

“The completion of this project not only helps us prevent the risk of unexpectedly losing connectivity with Grand Gulf, but it also avoids creating future customer costs that would be associated with losing that connectivity. The study that helped us realize this risk was integral to enhancing our grid,” said Randy Vaughan, director, project delivery.

Project managers coordinated around other work happening in and near Grand Gulf, and found the optimal time to complete the project in early 2024. Over the course of about a week, highly skilled crews switched phases and built new lines, which will help mitigate future risks of tripping transmission service from Grand Gulf to the substation.

Vaughan continued, “To put it into perspective, during the hottest and coldest months of the year, Entergy Mississippi’s peak load is around 3.4 gigawatts. Grand Gulf alone supplies 1.5 gigawatts of power across the grid. By supplying reliable and affordable power, we’re meeting our customers’ current and future needs. That’s why this project was important.”

Entergy Mississippi continually works to mitigate risks and improve service for our customers. Data shows the efforts the company has put forth to maintain reliability and affordability over the years have yielded great results – allowing more investment in infrastructure and better performance.

JACKSON, Miss.– Entergy Mississippi has completed construction of a new distribution substation in the Snowden Grove Park community, near Tchulahoma Road in Southaven. The substation is a part of a $37 million project, which included constructing nearly two miles of new transmission lines, 12 miles of new and rebuilt distribution lines, and 74 new composite poles.

The project enhances reliability for the existing transmission and distribution systems by providing capacity for future residential, commercial and industrial growth in DeSoto County.

“Northwest Mississippi is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, and we’re proud to be a part of the progress,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO. “This new substation allows us to support and enable economic growth in the area and continue to provide reliable service at affordable rates.”

Construction began April 2022, and the substation was officially put into service December 22, 2023. With a new amphitheater and several restaurants, forecasts show the growth trends in the area could have created overload conditions between nearby Greenbrook and Plum Point substations. Bringing the Snowden Park Substation into service alleviates those risks and improves reliability for all three substations.

 

As a customer-centered business, Entergy Mississippi continuously makes improvements to the electric distribution system to deliver reliable power. This work makes the electric system in the DeSoto County area more interconnected with higher capacity, which will help the company deliver power now and into the future.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 461,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ���, a Fortune 500 electric company. Entergy powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than , Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. For the latest news from Entergy, visit the .

The organization is passionate about supporting the communities in which it operates, whether through helping local charities or contributing to the regional energy economy. It balances the resiliency and reliability of the grid while keeping customers’ costs down and is working towards a more sustainable grid that can be accessed by all.

Entergy Mississippi is also juggling the demands of modern consumers as the world approaches global energy transition. With several technologies and renewable energy sources in constant discussion, Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi’s President and CEO, is tasked with managing, and meeting customers’ expectations.

Powering communities
Haley joins us to discuss the ever-changing market in Mississippi, the adoption of renewables, and the ways in which the company gives back to the communities in which it operates. “This year, we’re celebrating 100 years of doing business in Mississippi, which was the second of ���ϳԹ���’s operating companies that were incorporated into the group,” he opens.

“Our Founder, Harvey Couch, established Arkansas Power and Light, which is now Entergy Arkansas, in 1913. Ten years later, he came across the river into Mississippi and chartered into what was then Mississippi Power & Light Company and is now Entergy Mississippi. After that charter in April 1923, Harvey started acquiring various municipalities and the corporation grew from there.

“When we think about electricity, it’s something that many of us take for granted; we don’t order it, we just wake up and it’s there, ready to be flicked on and used,” Haley continues. “However, back when we started, electricity was still somewhat a novelty. Not everyone had electricity, mainly because people couldn’t afford it, so it was limited to municipalities that could have a power plant and deployed lines.

“The birth of our company ran almost in parallel to the birth of the electricity industry itself,” he proposes. “Here we are 100 years later and for most of us, we couldn’t imagine life without power. We truly are the bloodline of the communities and the customers we serve, as well as driving the state’s economy.”

Resilient and reliable
Operating in an area prone to storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes, Entergy Mississippi is responsible for power restoration after outages in the region. Recognizing that electrical power is now a necessity of day-to-day life, it is concentrating its efforts on strengthening the grid to bring enhanced reliability but also resiliency in the event of adverse weather.

“2023 has been a tumultuous year for us,” Haley reflects. “We’ve been hit with record cold temperatures, awful tornadoes hit some of our communities in March, and then we had a June like we’ve never seen before with a series of thunderstorms equal to Category 1 hurricanes. We’ve also dealt with record high temperatures, which surpassed our peak record three days in a row.

“When we have storms or outages for other reasons, power can be rerouted with its self-healing capabilities,” he proposes. “Although the entire utility industry must have effective storm response units, not just the energy sector, it is our mission to harden our grid to consistently and reliably provide cleaner energy to our customers.”

Haley continues: “One of the things I love most about my job is the opportunity to work with our communities and help them grow. Our most valuable asset is our people, many of whom live in local areas alongside our customers and we’re passionate about giving back to them.

“I’m also constantly aware that 20 percent of our customers live below the national poverty level, so we’re dedicated to deploying technologies and energy sources that benefit all our customers. We support local business by providing various economic incentives to help people get started, or even help existing companies through times of difficulty.”

With sustainability and renewables dominating discussions over the future of energy, Entergy Mississippi is playing into these conversations. Striving to provide the safest, cleanest energy to its customers, the organization is constantly searching for ways to lower costs while meeting increasing demands for sustainable power.

“Historically, the big debate in the US was deregulation of the industry, but after many failed attempts, we saw the wholesale markets become extremely competitive,” Haley recalls. “However, there is widespread recognition that retail markets still require regulation to enable us to deploy technologies and find new ways of generating energy.

Smart grids
“We’re looking at solar power, for example, as well as wind power and the use of hydrogen, but to be able to launch such technologies takes a huge capital expense. The best way to do that, I believe, is under a modernized, regulated model. There will be more distributed energy resources moving forward, from rooftop solar panels to micro turbines or grids.

“We have a heavy mix of natural gas and nuclear and have a commitment to increasingly add renewables to our portfolio. We’re striving to be well-positioned to appropriately respond to energy circumstances. When the sun is shining, we’re ready to deploy solar power, and when we get a cloud, we can quickly transition using all available resources to find another clean, effective alternative.

“We’re deploying 1000-megawatts of solar facilities over the next five years, for instance, as part of our Economic Development with Green ���ϳԹ��� (EDGE) program,” he reveals. “This strategy is two-fold, giving Mississippi an edge in recruiting industry while simultaneously giving Entergy customers
an effective hedge against volatile natural gas prices.”

Aside from sustainability, the evolution of technology has resulted in several changes to the company’s operations. “We’re no longer our grandfather’s utility,” laughs Haley.
“The biggest advancement we’ve seen in our lifetime is communications technology, which is transforming the way we manage and produce energy, especially as we modernize the grid. The future will almost certainly include smart grids, so we must learn how to best operate them and how to use devices like reclosers.

“It’s not only technology that has changed the way we monitor the grid and reroute power, but the materials have changed too. For example, we’re currently in the process of replacing wooden transmission poles with more resilient steel ones, which can withstand winds of up to 155 miles per hour.”

Exceeding expectations
As our conversation draws to a close, Haley adds: “Our goal remains to meet customers’ expectations and address some of the many challenges currently facing the entire industry. While challenges lie ahead, it is those opportunities that excite me. It’s amazing to see the industry progress with technology. It excites me that we can start to imagine a day where people don’t lose power. It’s within the realm of possibility, particularly when we start to analyze how we can build a smart grid with various distributed energy sources.

“Further afield, I’d like to see us as the premier utility company in Mississippi, and even in the US,” he concludes. “We will continue to deliver the best service and most competitive rates for our customers, while also providing opportunities for our employees and the wider communities.”

��

This article was originally published in ���ϳԹ���, Oil & Gas Magazine. To view it, click .

When completed nearly 60 years ago, the company’s extra high voltage transmission system reflected the latest technology in modern, reliable, efficient power delivery. Today, it carries on its legacy of delivering powerful benefits to customers and communities throughout Entergy Mississippi’s service area and beyond.����

“The extra high voltage system was primarily built during the 1960s is still a very strong backbone of Entergy Mississippi’s transmission service,” said Frank Gallaher, who joined the company in 1969 and retired in 2003 as president of fossil operations and transmission for Entergy. “As needs required, it expanded and incorporated new technologies as they became available, but the backbone system is still there and has been very beneficial for customers over the years.”��

A new system for a new era

In a utility system, transmission lines move bulk electricity from generating plants to substations, where voltages are lowered for smaller distribution lines that serve homes and businesses.��

Entergy Mississippi’s earliest transmission system generally followed railroad and highway routes of the day, transporting power from generating plants in larger cities to nearby towns and communities. By the end of the 1950s, the company had built generation stations in Jackson, Natchez and Cleveland to serve growing demand in its service territory.��

Plans to build an extra high voltage transmission system took shape in 1962, when Tennessee Valley Authority entered a diversity interchange agreement with 11 investor-owned utilities in the south-central region. Its purpose was to help utilities more effectively manage peak loads in winter and summer while saving millions of dollars and reducing the need to build new generating plants.����

Mississippi Power & Light, the precursor of Entergy Mississippi, led negotiations for the private utilities, with Vice President Ray Braswell serving as a key figure in finalizing the deal and overseeing the construction of Mississippi’s extra high voltage transmission system—one of the first in the world to operate at 500,000 volts.����

Despite the large investment required for the project, MP&L management saw the agreement “as another milestone in the company’s continuing efforts to plan and build ahead in order to assure its customers of an ample, dependable supply of electric power at the lowest reasonable cost,” wrote Carroll Brinson in “Always a Challenge: Mississippi Power & Light Company’s First Sixty Years.”��

In 1964, MP&L bought around 200 miles of right of way and began building 226 miles of extra high voltage line in three segments: French Camp to Jackson (91 miles), Jackson to Vicksburg (36 miles), and Jackson to the Louisiana state line, south of Liberty (99 miles). The extra high voltage system also included two 500-KV substations—Ray Braswell in Clinton and Baxter Wilson in Vicksburg.����

MP&L’s sister companies in Middle South Utilities also were part of the new extra high voltage system, with substation lines running to connection points with Louisiana Power & Light and Arkansas Power & Light.������

In 1967, the company completed the historic construction project on schedule and managed the transmission system in accordance with Tennessee Valley Authority’s diversity interchange agreement, which came to an end in the 1980s.��

Growth drives system expansion

Over the following years, Entergy Mississippi added to the extra high voltage transmission system and built additional substations to expand power-sharing capabilities, including Franklin Substation in Brookhaven and a substation to serve Grand Gulf Nuclear Station.����

When Charlie Gambrell joined the company in 1981, Entergy Mississippi was building the McAdams substation in Attala County that tapped into an extra high voltage transmission line running from Ray Braswell Substation to Tennessee Valley Authority. Subsequent substation construction projects included Freeport in Horn Lake, Lakeover in Jackson and Wolf Creek in French Camp.����

“Instead of building another power plant, sometimes it’s much cheaper to build a transmission line—not only for Entergy’s use but to transport power to other utilities,” said Gambrell, who retired in 2021 as manager, transmission construction. “A lot of our transmission lines tie into other utilities in Mississippi and neighboring states.”��

New technologies have steadily transformed Entergy’s transmission infrastructure, particularly with the advent of computers and communication technologies that have enabled remote operations and automation—advancements that have helped minimize outages, boost reliability, and prevent and mitigate system damage.��

“When I first came to work, they were using older electromechanical relay systems,” Gambrell said. “Most of them have been replaced with microprocessor technology that’s much more reliable and can provide information about outage locations and other issues on the system.”��

For years, employees were dispatched to substations to manually switch out lines and perform other procedures. Today’s substations are equipped with devices that allow employees in Entergy’s transmission control centers to remotely monitor and operate equipment. The installation of fiber optic cable is driving further advancements in system automation and integration.��

In recent decades, Entergy Mississippi also has modernized its generation fleet to sustainably serve Mississippi’s evolving energy needs, including more .����

Always anticipating the future

Today, Entergy operates around 1,300 miles of transmission line in Mississippi, and Jackson serves as headquarters for the utility’s four-state transmission organization.����

Just as company leaders promised more than a half-century ago, transmission employees remain focused on “efforts to plan and build ahead in order to assure customers of an ample, dependable supply of electric power at the lowest reasonable cost.” A dedicated, long-range planning team forecasts load growth and analyzes contingencies to ensure that Entergy’s system is always prepared for the future.����

Twice a year, aerial inspections by helicopter are performed on Entergy’s entire transmission system to identify condition issues that could affect service, including overgrown vegetation and leaning trees. The company inspects wood poles and other structures on 10-year cycles and uses drone technology to inspect equipment that can’t be accessed on foot.��

In an age of more extreme weather events, improving system resiliency is a critical focus area. Entergy worked with regulators to receive approval for a program to accelerate the replacement of wood poles with steel structures, which will reduce outages and enhance transmission system availability.��

Entergy also has increased investments in component upgrades and state-of-the-art devices that are more reliable, require less maintenance and even provide environmental benefits. In 2022, Entergy Mississippi installed a high-voltage clean air circuit breaker in Vicksburg—a first for Entergy’s four-state service area. The breaker uses nitrogen and oxygen for its insulating medium instead of sulfur hexafluoride, a potent greenhouse gas.��

“Entergy has always looked for ways to use technology to find and diagnose problems faster and maintain the transmission system in a more cost-effective manner,” said John Stevens, senior manager, Mississippi grid. “We’ve been able to accomplish a lot in Mississippi in terms of upgrading equipment that directly impacts our customers, including industrial customers that rely on high levels of power quality for their operations.����

“It all goes back to leaders who followed through on their vision to build a world-class transmission system for Mississippi,” Stevens said. “System performance through the years has proven that it was the right decision for the company and for our customers.”��

JACKSON, Miss. – Entergy Mississippi launched a project last year to accelerate the replacement of existing wooden transmission structures with steel or concrete poles, with the goal of replacing all wooden poles in 12-15 years. The replacement of the wood structures represents the majority of a $28 million annual investment Entergy Mississippi is making to harden the grid. So far, more than 1,000 aged wood structures have been replaced.

“Our customers and communities depend on us to deliver reliable service,” said Shawn Corkran, vice president of reliability, Entergy Mississippi. “We study and invest in modernizing and strengthening our grid to ensure our customers have the power they need when they need it. This involves not just replacing aging infrastructure, but also updating our equipment with materials that improve our resiliency.”

The transmission system is the backbone of the electric grid. The company produces power in the most efficient and reliable manner possible, then sends the electricity that has been generated across transmission lines to reach the distribution lines that bring power to customers’ homes and businesses. The structures carry high-voltage electricity quickly over long distances to reach the distribution lines that, in turn, serve 461,000 customers in Entergy Mississippi’s service area.

These high-voltage lines and the structures holding them are a crucial part of the grid, so maintaining them is an essential part of Entergy Mississippi’s work. Wooden poles were once the standard material for transmission structures. However, today steel and concrete poles are preferred for reliability.

“We identified wooden transmission structures in need of replacement across the state,” said Corkran. “With these upgraded structures, we can provide a more hardened, reliable system for our customers and reduce the length of outages caused by transmission wood pole failures.”

Additional crews were brought on the system for the execution of the incremental work to replace the structures holding the lines, which will fortify the grid; these additional crews will also be available to help restore damaged transmission lines, improving the restoration times during unplanned outages or outages that may occur during storms. An investment in infrastructure now pays dividends in fewer outages and lower bills for customers today and in the decades to come.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 461,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi is a subsidiary of ���ϳԹ���, a Fortune 500 electric company. Entergy powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than , Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. For the latest news from Entergy, visit the .

And we don’t just think about it. We study it and keep up with the latest advancements in technology, materials and installation. We learn from experts and our own experiences in the field and then use that data to improve our performance.

“Our customers and communities depend on us to deliver reliable service,” said Shawn Corkran, vice president of reliability, Entergy Mississippi. “We study and invest in modernizing and strengthening our grid to ensure our customers have the power they need when they need it. This involves not just replacing aging infrastructure, but also updating our equipment with materials that improve our resiliency.”

The company produces power in the most efficient and reliable manner possible, then sends the electricity that has been generated across transmission lines to reach the distribution lines that bring power to your home. The transmission system is the backbone of the electric grid and the lines and poles that comprise it are unmistakable when you see them. An average 500kV transmission structure stands as tall as a 10-story building at about 150 feet in height. The structures carry high-voltage electricity quickly and efficiently over long distances to reach the distribution lines that, in turn, serve thousands of customers.

These high-voltage lines and the structures holding them are a crucial part of the grid, so maintaining them is an essential part of Entergy Mississippi’s work. Wooden poles were once the standard material for transmission structures. However, today steel and concrete poles are preferred for reliability.

Last year, Entergy Mississippi launched a project to accelerate the replacement of existing wooden transmission structures with steel or concrete poles, with the goal of replacing all wooden poles in 12-15 years. So far, more than 1,000 aged wood structures have been replaced.

“We identified wooden transmission structures in need of replacement across the state,” said Corkran. “With these upgraded structures, we can provide a more hardened, reliable system for our customers and reduce the length of outages caused by transmission wood pole failures.”

The replacement of the wood structures represents the majority of a $28 million annual investment Entergy Mississippi is making to harden the grid. Additional crews were brought on the system for the execution of the incremental work to replace the structures holding the lines, which will fortify the grid; these additional crews will be available to help restore damaged transmission lines, improving the restoration times during unplanned outages or outages that may occur during storms. An investment in infrastructure now pays dividends in fewer outages and lower bills for customers today and in the decades to come.

When crews installed a high-voltage clean air circuit breaker at one of our Vicksburg, Mississippi substations late last year, two companies reached milestones. The equipment installation was a first for Entergy’s four-state service area and the second U.S. dead-tank BLUE Circuit Breaker^TM installment in the country for the manufacturer, ���ϳԹ���.

In our efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Entergy is deploying a number of sustainable solutions from building solar power generation and working to relicense our nuclear plants to replacing some equipment, like circuit breakers, with cleaner technology.

Manufactured in Richland, Mississippi, the Siemens ���ϳԹ��� BLUE Circuit Breaker^TM is a 123kV high-voltage clean air vacuum breaker that replaced a high-voltage oil circuit breaker used to control the flow of power on the electric transmission system. The equipment uses a clean air mix of 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen for its insulating medium rather than sulfur hexafluoride, a potent greenhouse gas. Energized on Nov. 21, 2022 the gas-free breaker is a pilot project we will monitor to understand how this kind of technology can help reduce our greenhouse gas footprint and emissions.

“By testing this technology, we’re gaining a better understanding of how innovations like Siemens ���ϳԹ���’s clean air breaker can strengthen the electric grid while advancing our sustainability goals,” said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO. “And we’re proud this product, made by Mississippians who live and work in our service area, is helping us create a more resilient grid for all our customers.”

In working with Siemens ���ϳԹ���, we not only took one more step toward creating a cleaner electric grid, but also supported another important initiative, Hire Mississippi. Approved by the Mississippi Public Service Commission in 2018, Hire Mississippi helps increase awareness of potential business opportunities among Mississippi companies that are qualified to provide services to utilities.

Learn more about how we’re building a cleaner, more resilient and sustainable power grid for everyone through innovative energy solutions like this one at www.entergy.com/future.

JACKSON, Miss. – Entergy Mississippi has purchased the former Primos facility and 10 acres, and some 25 adjacent acres in the Flora Industrial Park, and will relocate 44 employees to the site once the property is in service next year.

Construction will begin soon on the 102,700-square-foot building, which is being re-designed to accommodate 39 full-time employees and five contract employees. Another 37 contracted employees who work remotely will utilize the building as a home base. Entergy expects the building will be in service by June 2023.

The newly re-designed building will replace three different facilities that currently house Entergy’s transmission line department, substation operations department and the central Mississippi substation maintenance department for the Jackson metropolitan area. The additional land will be used as a pole yard and to store spare equipment. The property will be known as the Central Mississippi Transmission Facility.

“We’re happy to have found an existing building that will allow us to consolidate three facilities and those employees into one central location, and to have the nearby land, which is located near our Flora substation, available for material storage,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO. “It’s been a very positive experience, working with Mayor Les Childress and the board of aldermen, and with the Madison County Economic Development Authority to bring this project to fruition. We’re looking forward to being a part of this community.”

Entergy purchased approximately 25 acres adjacent to the warehouse from the Madison County Economic Development Authority, which markets the 115-acre industrial park along Highway 49 in Flora. The company is working with MCEDA on improvements to the site, including a road extension.

“The Madison County Economic Development Authority is thrilled to welcome Entergy to Madison County,” said Joey Deason, executive director of MCEDA. ¬†“We appreciate the leadership that the team at Entergy and the City of Flora provided during the site selection process. Economic development is a team sport, and we are grateful for all of the partners involved in making this project a reality in Flora and Madison County.”

Entergy also worked with the mayor’s office and Flora Board of Aldermen on zoning issues related to the material storage site.

“We think we’ll be good partners and are excited to have Entergy in our community,” said Mayor Les Childress.

The Primos manufacturing facility was constructed in 2002, and was being used as an administration and sales office prior to Entergy’s purchase.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 456,000 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.

JACKSON, Mississippi – Entergy Mississippi will soon begin construction on a $14-million project aimed at improving reliability and modernizing transmission and substation infrastructure that serves customers in southwest Mississippi. Crews will be working to expand the Franklin 500 kV Substation which will reside on existing land owned by the company in Franklin County, Mississippi.

To better serve customers, Entergy Mississippi will install new electric facilities and upgrade other protective equipment in the Franklin 500 kV Substation located in Franklin County, Mississippi. Entergy Louisiana will also perform upgrades in the McKnight 500 kV Substation located in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. These upgrades to the Bulk Electric System will benefit electrical customers in southwest Mississippi and Louisiana by improving transmission grid reliability and modernizing protective systems enhancing the transmission facilities which enable the flow of bulk power into and throughout the region.

Construction is expected to be complete by December 2022.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 456,000 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.‚ÄØLearn more at‚ÄØentergy.com‚ÄØand follow‚ÄØ@Entergy‚ÄØon social media.

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These are a few of our favorite stories that added sparkle throughout the year:

January

We kicked off the new year with the grand opening of Entergy’s new , a high-tech training facility for new line workers. Located in Clinton, the COE consolidates training for line workers without previous experience from Entergy locations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. The center is a great example of providing our employees with the new equipment and modern technology needed to become the premier utility.

February

When a water crisis hit central Mississippi, we partnered with the Mississippi Food Network and WAPT to to our neighbors across the tri-state area. Working over a three-day span, 70 volunteers in seven different locations accomplished this amazing feat!

Also in February, an Entergy retiree and his wife came to the rescue of several women with disabilities who were scared and without power at their independent group home after an ice storm. ��

March

In March, Entergy Mississippi completed a that provides a strong, new source of power into a rapidly growing area of the capital city. The new Mill Street substation and supporting infrastructure upgrades support economic growth in Jackson’s medical corridor and in the expanding Fondren area. The investment also enhances grid reliability for the entire metro area.

We also highlighted one of our newest apprentices, who reflected on how Entergy’s boot camp helped him build the necessary skills to safely restore power in any weather.

April

April showers may bring May flowers, but those flowers aren’t the only thing that broke through the ground this month! Our partner, Recurrent ���ϳԹ���, broke ground on , a 100-Megawatt solar farm near Ruleville in the Mississippi Delta. It will go into operation in 2022, bringing clean, green energy to our customers and economic benefits to Sunflower County and the Delta. It will also make Mississippi more attractive to industries looking to locate in areas that offer renewable energy resources.

And besides showers, flowers and solar farms, April also brings the surety of taxes. Our VITA volunteers continued to offer free tax-return assistance with our community partners, helping customers receive Earned Income Tax Credits which is one of the most effective tools for lifting low-income workers and their families above the poverty line. Many of our employees and retirees say volunteering with VITA is the most gratifying way they can support their community.��

Story continues after photo gallery.

May

In the competitive world of economic development, everyone is looking for that extra edge. In May, 10 Mississippi communities got help with that in the form of 50/50 matching grants from . Now in its fifth year, the program helps county economic development organizations pursue projects that make them more attractive to companies looking to expand or locate new facilities. Congrats (again!) to these winners: Natchez, Inc., Greater Grenada Partnership, Madison County Economic Development Authority, Montgomery County Economic Development Authority, Vicksburg Warren Partnership, Cleveland – Bolivar County Chamber, DeSoto County Economic Development Council, Hinds County Economic Development Authority, Rankin First Economic Development and Tate County Economic Development Foundation.

June

June marked the start of the 2021 Hurricane Season and what a doozy it was! But every cloud has a silver lining, and if there was anything positive that came out of the storms, it’s this heart-warming story of a father and son helping out a victim of Hurricane Ida. Entergy Mississippi’s David Rose teaching his son Alex�� the importance of volunteering to help others and the value of a hard day’s work is one of our favorite memories of 2021.

July

It may have been the dog days of summer, but no one was sleeping on the job in July! We had a couple of big announcements around modernizing our grid and improving our service reliability. Entergy Mississippi completed a that improves service reliability to customers in the Flowers area of Warren County. This includes the growing Ceres Industrial Park, as well as residential customers. We also sharpened our FOCUS on service reliability in other parts of our service area. Entergy’s FOCUS program finds root causes for poor performing devices and addresses those issues. In 2021, our engineers designed 32 projects while also beginning the next round of choosing FOCUS devices to inspect and design. The program has been very successful, as we continually work to improve our grid, looking toward a future where power flows uninterrupted and outages are a thing of the past.

No matter the weather – sweltering heat or frigid cold – anytime is a good time to remind customers about generator safety. As the height of hurricane season approached, we shared a real-life example of how employee Matt Courtney’s quick thinking and safety knowledge helped his neighbor avoid a potentially fatal generator situation.��

August

Donna Eubanks made Entergy Mississippi history as our ! She’s based in our Brookhaven office and this profile piece in The Daily Leader gives a glimpse into why she chose this profession and what working in her boots is like.

September

“I get by with a little help from my friends,” sang the Beatles in one of their more famous tunes. But when a monster storm knocks you off your feet, you need a LOT of help from your friends! When Hurricane Ida made landfall on the Louisiana coast on August 29 as one of the strongest storms on record, the storm didn’t spare the magnolia state. Tens of thousands of Mississippians lost power due to downed trees and power lines. Within days, , and within a week every last customer who could take power was restored. We could not have done it without them and when we count our blessings this holiday season, we count them among them.

October

By October the new school year was well underway, and several of our employees were actively involved as volunteers with the J-TECHS program on the Tougaloo campus in Jackson. A partnership between Entergy, Jackson Public Schools and Tougaloo college, J-TECHS seeks to strengthen Mississippi’s future workforce. The program has been so successful that this year, to Entergy workforce development team members Betina Brandon and Alexander Washington, Ph.D. The B.E.S.T. award recognizes those who provide outreach efforts with the early college high school program.��Give them a round of applause!!

November

It was big news in November when ! The company plans to replace some aging natural gas plants with 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy, such as solar, over the next five years. Called EDGE for “Economic Development with Green ���ϳԹ���”, the strategy is two-fold: give Mississippi an edge in recruiting industry while simultaneously giving Entergy customers an effective hedge against volatile natural gas prices. It also helps the company meet its climate goals. We think that’s a win-win for everybody!

This month, we also partnered with Extra Table to help put . Entergy volunteers helped distribute turkeys to food banks in Jackson and Indianola and the company also supported the cause with a financial contribution. ����

December

Winter holiday traditions are a big deal in��New York City, and there may be none bigger than the annual Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting, which took place Dec. 1. But what was an even bigger deal to us here in Mississippi, is that the fabulous 79-foot Norway Spruce chosen this year was donated by none other than an Entergy employee from right here in Jackson! Devon Price, ���ϳԹ��� director of nuclear fleet outage services, and his family own property in Elkton, Maryland, which was where the tree comes from.

Ending the year on a high note, Site Selection magazine recognized Entergy as one of the nation’s . Attracting businesses like AWG, Google and Amazon to invest in Mississippi developments, innovative programs Entergy offers and the more than $659 million invested and 2,360 jobs we helped bring to Entergy Mississippi’s service area were part of the selection criteria. ��