The school’s administration had previously been advised by their electrician that the secondary wiring on campus was deteriorating. Plans were in place to address the issue over the summer break, as repairs would require a temporary power outage. However, on Monday evening, the wiring failed resulting in a loss of power to the entire campus.

The next morning Entergy crews were on-site to assess the situation and determine how we could assist. Recognizing the urgency, Entergy New Orleans took immediate action – expediting the order and delivery of a new transformer, setting a new pole, installing updated wiring, and preparing the transformer pad.  All of the work was completed within 48 hours, enabling the school’s electrical contractor to begin replacing the secondary wiring.

Through close coordination with Dominican High School and the office of Councilmember Joe Giarrusso, power was restored to the school on Thursday morning.

“We recognized how important it was to act fast,” said Nyka Scott, vice president, customer service and economic development at Entergy New Orleans. “When schools are affected, we know time is critical. After the school’s equipment broke down, our team worked proactively to reduce downtime and support students’ return to the classroom as quickly and safely as possible.”

“The St. Mary’s Dominican High School community extends its sincere gratitude to Entergy for its prompt response, mobilization, and collaboration in securing the necessary equipment and restoring power to our campus,” said Dr. Cynthia Thomas, president at St. Mary’s Dominican High School. “Their efforts were instrumental in ensuring the successful completion of our school year. “

“A school’s doors being open is critical but maybe even more so at year end,” said Councilman Joe Giarusso. “When Dominican experienced a power issue, Entergy expedited receipt and installation of equipment to ensure the school and kids finish the year on the right note.”

Entergy New Orleans is committed to delivering reliable service and responding promptly to challenges. We will continue to actively collaborate with local leaders to ensure timely, effective solutions that support the communities we serve.

About Entergy New Orleans

Entergy New Orleans, LLC provides electricity to approximately 208,000 customers and natural gas to approximately 109,000 customers in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Entergy New Orleans 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 100 years, 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 New Orleans, visit the  and connect with @EntergyNOLA on social media.

Representatives from the ���ϳԹ��� Smart office joined us for the walkthrough, sharing energy efficiency tools and tips with residents to help improve home energy use and support a more sustainable community.

During the inspection, line workers identified issues affecting the reliability of electric service and performed minor repairs on-site. Some of the repairs completed included:

• Fixing broken secondary arms
• Raising a crossing wire resting on a communication line
• Removing old utility poles

“Our walkdowns are a critical part of our commitment to reliability,” said Nyka Scott, vice president of customer service and economic development at Entergy New Orleans. “By proactively inspecting our infrastructure, we can address issues before they become larger problems and ensure the resilience and safety of our system, especially as we prepare for hurricane season.”

Entergy New Orleans will continue conduct walkdowns in every district to assess and improve our infrastructure. We appreciate ���ϳԹ��� Smart’s collaboration and look forward to continuing our shared efforts to keep New Orleans sustainable, powered, and prepared.

We encourage residents to play a part in this effort by reporting leaning poles or hanging wires to 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243), through the Entergy mobile app or .

Representatives from Councilwoman Lesli Harris’ office joined us for the walkthrough, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between local government and utilities to keep our communities safe and prepared.

During the inspection, line workers identified issues affecting the reliability of electric service and performed minor repairs on-site. Some of the repairs completed included:

1. Fixing broken secondary arms
2. Trimming vegetation around power lines
3. Raising a crossing wire resting on a communication line
4. Removing old utility poles

“Our walkdowns are a critical part of our commitment to reliability and community engagement,” said Nyka Scott, vice president of customer service and economic development at Entergy New Orleans. “By proactively inspecting our infrastructure, we can address issues before they become larger problems and ensure the resilience and safety of our system, especially as we prepare for hurricane season.”

Entergy New Orleans will continue to conduct walkdowns in every district to assess and improve our infrastructure. We appreciate Councilwoman Harris’ office joining us in this effort, we and look forward to continued collaboration to keep New Orleans powered and prepared.

We encourage residents to play a part in this effort by reporting leaning poles or hanging wires by calling 311 or through the Entergy mobile app or .

During these district walk-downs, our line workers and customer service teams collaborated with community members to identify issues that could impact electric service reliability. As part of this proactive approach, line workers surveyed the area for potential maintenance issues and performed some repairs on-site. The hands-on process allowed for real-time identification and resolution of service concerns and reduced the need for unplanned repairs in the future.

During these events, we not only repaired the infrastructure, but also opened the lines of communication between Entergy New Orleans and the residents we serve. By inviting community members to participate, ask questions, and share feedback, the walk-downs helped to build transparency and allowed us to better meet the needs of our customers.

The council district walkdowns reflects Entergy New Orleans’ dedication to creating a resilient, reliable energy system that supports the needs of our city.

Entergy’s newly launched online connects customers to bill management, energy efficiency and financial assistance resources. This new resource helps our customers explore simple ways they can lower their electricity use and costs.

“In the face of extreme temperatures, we’re doing all we can to keep costs down for customers with some of the lowest electricity rates in the country,” said Steven Benyard, Vice President of Reliability for Entergy Louisiana. “To help our customers take control of their budget and save money in extreme heat, we are connecting them with tools to monitor their energy use, manage their bills and find financial assistance.”

Track your energy use

Bill management tools like empower our customers to set electricity usage alerts and monitor how much energy they use each day. Tracking electricity use over time can help customers identify habits that contribute to higher use and budget their monthly expenses. With their myAdvisor dashboard, customers have access to usage and cost details, bill history, bill projections and analyzer tools and more.

Manage your bills your way

Entergy offers several flexible payment options so customers can choose when, where and how they receive their bills.

• allows customers to pay their bills when it works best for them.
• allows customers to “level out” seasonal energy use fluctuations, making their bills more consistent every month.
• billing allows customers to get their bills emailed as soon as they post and instant access to two years of billing history.
• allows customers to avoid late fees, writing checks and paying for postage by having bills automatically deduct from their bank accounts.

Entergy encourages customers who may need additional payment options to reach out. To see if customers automatically qualify for deferred payment arrangements or payment extensions, they can visit our mobile app or .

Find financial assistance

For customers needing assistance to pay their bills, Entergy is here to help. Throughout this summer, Entergy is implementing a series of measures through its “Beat the Heat” program focused on helping our low-income customers and communities stay cool and pay their bills. The program provides bill payment assistance, fans and energy efficiency kits and support from local community partners to help hundreds of residential customers across the state. 

In addition, Entergy partners with local and state organizations to connect qualifying customers with financial assistance including:

• The Power to Care program provides emergency bill payment assistance to older adults and customers with disabilities.
• makes it easy for customers to quickly and confidentially check their eligibility for federal, state and local financial assistance.
• provides financial assistance for energy bills and other energy-related expenses.

For more ways to save energy and money, customers can visit .

Barry Banquer, currently supporting Gas Work Management, has been named Customer Service Manager for Entergy New Orleans. In this role, Barry will be responsible for handling all issues escalated from Council District A, residential customer concerns, and handle several managed accounts including Hospitals, the Audubon Institute, and the Ernest N Morial Convention Center. Barry has been with Entergy for 16 years and has supported Customer Service in various areas.

NEW ORLEANS and BATON ROUGE, La. – Entergy today announced it has entered into an agreement to sell its gas distribution business to Bernhard Capital Partners, a services and infrastructure-focused private equity management firm, for approximately $484 million in cash, subject to certain purchase price adjustments. Entergy Louisiana’s gas business serves approximately 95,000 homes and businesses in the Baton Rouge area, and Entergy New Orleans’ gas business serves approximately 109,000 homes and businesses in New Orleans.

“We are pleased to partner with Bernhard Capital, who shares our values around employee engagement, safety and reliability performance, quality customer service and local community investment,” said Drew Marsh, chairman and chief executive officer for Entergy. “This agreement allows us to continue our strategy of simplifying operations and focusing on our regulated electric utility business for the benefit of our customers. Our gas utilities and dedicated gas employees have been and continue to be an integral part of Entergy, which is why it was imperative to approach this decision with thoughtful and deliberate consideration. I want to thank our employees for their hard work and accomplishments.”

If approved, the net proceeds from the transaction will be used to strengthen Entergy’s credit through the repayment of debt and to support the customer-centric capital needs in its growing electric utility business. The impact on Entergy’s adjusted earnings per share outlook is expected to be essentially neutral. Entergy’s management team will discuss the transaction on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 10 a.m. CT, as part of its third-quarter 2023 earnings release and teleconference.

“Our work is focused on strengthening businesses to, in turn, strengthen some of our country’s most critical infrastructure assets,” said Jeff Jenkins, founder and partner at Bernhard Capital Partners. “Under Entergy’s leadership, the natural gas distribution business has effectively served the two largest metropolitan areas in our state for decades. We believe this operation is primed to provide even greater services to Louisiana communities and beyond. We have an experienced leadership team prepared to lead it through strategic, transformational growth. This agreement is the catalyst to significant investment and opportunity for current employees, customers, and our state. In fact, we anticipate creating more than 100 new, high-paying jobs for Louisiana residents through this investment. We look forward to welcoming all of the business’ current employees into the family of Bernhard Capital’s portfolio companies and working together to make positive impact on the communities we serve.”

Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bernhard Capital focuses on investing in companies that provide critical services to government, infrastructure, industrial, utility and energy sectors, as well as investing in utility assets. To date, Bernhard Capital has invested in over 65 services-focused companies across 19 platforms, including several utility companies, that collectively employ more than 19,000 people globally.

In addition to customary closing conditions, the sale will require regulatory approvals by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the City of Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish Metropolitan Council and the New Orleans City Council. The sale is expected to close in approximately 21 months, inclusive of the regulatory review process and a transition period.

Entergy remains committed to the safe and reliable operation of its gas distribution business through the close of the transaction. If approved, Entergy will actively work to ensure a smooth transition of the gas business to Bernhard Capital.

RBC Capital Markets LLC is serving as financial advisor to Entergy and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as the company’s legal advisor. Jefferies LLC is serving as financial advisor to Bernhard Capital and Kirkland and Ellis LLP is serving as their legal advisor.

About Entergy

Entergy (NYSE: ETR) is a Fortune 500 company that 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 100 years, 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. Learn more at entergy.com and follow @Entergy on social media. #WePowerLife

About Bernhard Capital Partners

Bernhard Capital Partners is a services and infrastructure-focused private equity management firm established in 2013. Bernhard Capital Partners has deployed capital in four funds across several strategies and has approximately $3.4 billion of gross assets under management. The principals of Bernhard Capital have a proven track record of operational expertise, focusing on employee engagement and investing in the communities they serve. Bernhard Capital Partners seeks to create sustainable value by leveraging its experience in acquiring, operating and growing services and infrastructure businesses. For more information, visit .

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

In this release, and from time to time, Entergy makes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding: Entergy’s current financial and operational outlooks; expected timing and closing of the sale of Entergy’s gas distribution business or performance by Bernhard Capital Partners or its affiliates with respect thereto; and other statements of Entergy’s plans, beliefs, or expectations included in this release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this release. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, Entergy undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including (a) those factors discussed elsewhere in this release and in Entergy’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any of its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and any of its other concurrently or subsequently reports and filings made under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; (b) risks and uncertainties associated with executing the sale of Entergy’s gas distribution business, including (1) the risk that any such transaction may not be completed as and when expected, or at all; (2) the failure to obtain regulatory approvals necessary to consummate the transactions or to obtain regulatory approvals on favorable terms, (3) the risk that the anticipated benefits of the transactions may not be realized; (4) the outcome of any legal proceedings, regulatory proceedings or enforcement matters that may be instituted relating to the transaction; (5) transaction impacts with respect to relationships with customers, time and attention of management, employees, regulators or suppliers; and (6) exceeding the expected costs of the transaction; (c) direct and indirect impacts to Entergy or its customers from cyber, geopolitical or other catastrophic events; and (d) effects on Entergy or its customers of (1) changes in federal, state, or local laws and regulations and other governmental actions or policies, including changes in monetary, fiscal, tax, environmental, or energy policies; (2) the effects of changes in commodity markets, capital markets, or economic conditions; and (3) the effects of technological change, including the costs, pace of development, and commercialization of new and emerging technologies.

myEntergy is your one-stop-shop to manage all aspects of your home’s utility account. With myEntergy, you can view your bill, schedule payments, manage your account settings and more. Customers with a myEntergy account can take advantage of our digital self-service options to easily perform actions like starting, stopping or moving services, viewing your home’s energy usage and even finding assistance options for bill payment arrangements. You can easily begin using these features by online today.

“Delivering experiences that delight our customers in the moments that matter most is the driving force behind these updates to our online tools,” said Yovanka Daniel, vice president, contact center operations. “We fully embrace our commitment to making our customers more successful, and by making these updates, we look forward to better serving customers with enhanced experiences that meet their evolving needs.”

What to expect

Beginning in September, our teams will deploy updates with a phased approach through the end of the year. When visiting myEntergy, you will first find a simplified navigation, easier payment processing and a more user-friendly browsing experience on mobile devices.

These updates come after extensive research into how our customers currently use myEntergy, and we have leveraged their feedback to prioritize our enhancements, focusing on what matters most to our customers first. After our initial launch, you can expect to see changes to our start, stop and move, outage, and account management pages throughout our site. Our updates also incorporate learnings from our and aligns our customer portal with Entergy’s broader digital presence on sites like Entergy.com, creating a more cohesive experience to customers engaging with our online properties.

Prepare yourself

With a new look and feel coming soon, we encourage our customers with a myEntergy account to verify your email address and phone number are current as we will provide updates on our progress to you through these channels. In addition to staying aware of changes to our customer portal, you’ll be able to review all of your notification preferences. Follow these easy steps to verify your contact information:

• Log in to your .
• Visit the .
• Verify your email and phone number contact details.
• To update your notification preferences, hit the “Edit all” button.
• Adjust your notification preferences.
• Click “Save” at the bottom of the page.

We put the safety and well-being of our customers at the forefront of everything we do. We want to assure customers that although myEntergy may look different when you visit it, you can still trust that your account information is secure. Unfortunately, we continue to see an increase in fraudsters’ attempts to scam our customers, and criminals can design fraudulent websites to deceive you into disclosing sensitive information. By verifying your contact information and bookmarking important URLs like , you can lower your risk of visiting a malicious site as we transition to a new customer experience.

We are excited to share with you an updated myEntergy site that provides our customers with a new look and feel to transform your energy experience. Our user-friendly customer portal will enhance your digital self-service options and make doing business with us easier and more convenient. With updates to features like our navigation and payment processes, we look forward to better serving you with enhanced experiences as we continue our commitment to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

We know how important it is to keep you informed, especially regarding utility bill costs.

Last summer, utility bills across the nation surged, largely influenced by a spike in the cost of natural gas. Many domestic and global factors contributed to this two-fold increase in the cost of natural gas, and while the supply remained adequate, the cost of the natural gas that Entergy and other utilities use to generate electricity experienced the same upward cost pressure. The cost of the natural gas that Entergy uses to generate electricity, which is listed on bills as the Fuel Adjustment Charge, was one of the major drivers influencing higher than normal bills last summer.

Looking ahead for the rest of this summer, we anticipate that natural gas prices will remain at a much lower level – down over 50% from this past year. However as always in the South, the need for additional electricity to cool your home or business during these extreme summertime temperatures will continue to be a significant driver for bills, but we know that lower natural gas prices, leading to lower prices on your electricity bill, will be welcome news for all our customers.

We all want to save money on our bills, so we encourage you to consider taking steps at home to be more energy efficient to reduce your energy usage, where possible. As we typically see during the summer, hot weather makes our air conditioners work harder, and cooling costs can make up more than 50% of your bill. Here are some tips we recommend:

• Change air filters. Air filters on some air conditioning units require monthly cleaning or replacing.
• Setting the thermostat to 78 degrees or the highest comfortable temperature. Every degree lower than 78 can raise a bill as much as 3%.
• Buy a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat can help manage costs, is controllable, and can help monitor usage.
• Use fans to cool off. Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity to circulate the air. Make sure ceiling fans are rotating in the right direction – counter-clockwise during summer – to push cooler air down into the room. Be sure to turn all fans off in unused rooms.
• Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and the cool air in. Also, close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.
• Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and ductwork. Weather stripping and caulk will help keep the cold air in and the hot air out.
• Use the myAdvisor tool on . The usage and cost tool can compare usage history by month, day and hour.

Though this comes as a sense of relief for many, we know that any increase in monthly bills can be burdensome.

Through the , our company offers a variety of programs and resources to help customers save energy and money at their home or business, including incentive and rebate programs.

We also offer several bill payment assistance plans, including deferred payment arrangements, levelized billing and pick-a-day billing, to name a few. To learn more about these options, as well as assistance programs like The Power to Care and the Low-Income Home ���ϳԹ��� Assistance Program, visit: .

If you are a customer or know someone struggling to pay their utility bills, please do not wait — call us at 1-800-ENTERGY so that you can be connected with a customer service representative who will be happy to help assist you with your unique situation.

Thank you,

Sandra Diggs-Miller

Entergy New Orleans Customer Service Vice President

Each year, according to the American Cancer Society, approximately 200,000 patients battling cancer must travel 40-plus miles to receive treatment. For some, transportation and lodging challenges can create barriers to receiving proper treatment. Many people require daily or weekly treatments, for extended periods, and providing help and resources can fill critical gaps in receiving proper care.

Entergy’s contribution will provide more than 240 free lodging nights and rides to treatment for patients and their caregivers.

“Entergy is committed to providing tools and resources to our communities so that our friends and neighbors can live a healthier life,” said Phillip May, Entergy president and CEO. “The Hope Lodge program is a key resource for Louisiana families who need a home away from home during cancer treatments, and who not may otherwise be able to afford lodging. Lifting this financial burden will provide them comfort to focus on healing.”

“Supporting community partners such as The American Cancer Society helps to ensure our local communities stay healthy and safe,” said Deanna Rodriguez, Entergy New Orleans’ president and CEO. “The last thing anyone wants to worry about while they are battling cancer is ‘how do I get to my treatments?’. The more we can do to help those in need, the better they are able to persevere and focus on caring for themselves.”

“We want to thank Entergy for their generosity and helping give hope a home at our Patrick F. Taylor Lodge in New Orleans,” said Errin Viguerie, American Cancer Society Louisiana and East Texas executive director.

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. We invest in lifesaving research, provide 24/7 information and support, and work to ensure that individuals in every community have access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. For more information, visit cancer.org/LA. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

About Entergy New Orleans

Entergy New Orleans, LLC provides electricity to more than 209,000 customers and natural gas to more than 110,000 customers in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

About Entergy Louisiana

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana are subsidiaries of ���ϳԹ���, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans. Entergy powers life for 3 million utility customers across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy is creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future for everyone with our diverse portfolio of low-carbon and carbon-free energy sources. With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, Entergy is a recognized leader in corporate citizenship and delivers more than $100 million in philanthropy and advocacy efforts to local communities each year. Our approximately 12,500 employees are dedicated to powering life today and for future generations.