Entergy Louisiana set to purchase 475 megawatts of solar power

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - In a press release Tuesday, Entergy Louisiana announced it will be purchasing 475 megawatts of additional solar power from four solar facilities across the state.

Under the new contracts, Entergy said it will receive carbon-free power from the following solar facilities:

Vacherie Solar Energy Center – a 150-megawatt resource in St. James Parish
Sunlight Road Solar– a 50-megawatt resource in Washington Parish
St. Jacques Louisiana Solar – a 150-megawatt resource in St. James Parish
Elizabeth – a 125-megawatt resource in Allen Parish

“This is a major step forward for all of us in Louisiana,” Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May said. “These projects will provide clean and affordable energy for our communities and help our customers meet sustainability goals.”

Entergy said once constructed and ready to connect to the power grid, it will purchase power from the Vacherie, Sunlight Road and Elizabeth solar facilities under 20-year agreements.

The St. Jacques solar facility, however, will be under a build-own-transfer agreement, meaning Entergy will own and maintain the facility once built, the company said in its press release.

The 350-megawatts of solar energy resources in St. James and Washington Parish sites will be built by D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) while the Allen Parish facility will be built by Opdenergy, according to Entergy.

“Our DESRI team is pleased to continue our work with Entergy to deliver clean, reliable and cost-effective renewable energy to Louisiana residents,” Hy Martin, chief development officer of DESRI, said. “Our team has now partnered with Entergy on 420-megawatts of solar resources throughout their territory. These projects will benefit our host communities for years to come.”

“Opdenergy is very excited about the opportunity to construct our first solar project in Louisiana”, Braden Houston, managing director of solar development of Opdenergy, said. “We are honored to be able to work with Entergy and at the same time add significantly to the economic development and tax base in Allen Parish and the rest of the state.”

Entergy said the contracts described in the press release will go before the Louisiana Public Service Commission for approval in conjunction with a voluntary Green Tariff designed to allow customers to participate at various levels depending on their objectives. If approved, the solar facilities are expected to begin delivering power to customers in 2024, according to Entergy.

The announcement comes in addition to 50-megawatts of solar which Entergy purchased through the Capital Region Solar plant in West Baton Rouge and various hydroelectric and other renewable resources, according to the company’s press release.

Entergy Louisiana said it currently has approximately 240 megawatts of renewable resources, including the Capital Region Solar facility, which began delivering power to the grid in October 2020.