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Insights > Planning for tomorrow. Powering generations to come.
Planning for tomorrow. Powering generations to come.
08/15/2019
Entergy Arkansas is committed to continuous improvement of its systems and services and utilizing the latest technology to build the smart grid. The first step toward modernizing and building a smarter energy future for our customers is transitioning to advanced metering infrastructure -- or AMI -- for homes and businesses we serve. It's a foundation that allows two-way communication between us and our customers.
With AMI, customers will get more tools and better information to help understand and manage their energy use more effectively, which can lead to lower bills and potential energy reductions. We'll be able to identify outages more accurately, so crews can make repairs and restore electricity more quickly. Having near real-time information on energy usage allows us to better answer billing and service questions.
Advanced metering in Arkansas will offer our customers the following important benefits:
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More accurate outage information to help restore power more quickly.
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More detailed usage information to help customers better understand and manage their energy use.
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Improved customer service through expanded, near real-time energy data to help resolve billing issues more effectively.
Energy diversity means sustainability and affordability.
Maintaining a diverse energy portfolio is critically important for the short- and long-term well-being of our customers. Entergy Arkansas currently utilizes solar, nuclear, hydro, natural gas and coal energy sources. This level of diversity not only helps prices remain as low as possible, but it helps to control emission output.
We’re always looking to the future, and that includes solar energy Arkansas’ largest solar energy project, the Stuttgart Solar Energy Center, started producing energy in 2018, providing 81 megawatts of clean, reliable power. A 100-megawatt solar facility in Chicot County will do the same in mid-2020 and a proposed solar facility near Searcy will provide another 100 megawatts by late 2021. Together, these facilities will provide enough clean power to energize more than 45,000 homes.
Entergy Arkansas is committed to a diverse energy portfolio because we’re committed to do right by our customers.
Investing in the power grid. Investing in our future.
The future of Arkansas depends on an efficient, reliable electrical infrastructure. This infrastructure network, also known as the power grid, is comprised of transmission and distribution lines, substations and transformers. The lines are the "roads" that deliver electricity to our customers, and the substations tie the transmission and distributions systems together.
We've made significant investments to strengthen Arkansas’ infrastructure to meet the growing needs of our residents and businesses for years to come.
Some of the improvements include:
- Replacing wooden poles with stronger composite material to test for strength and longevity as part of a pilot program.
- Adding over 254 miles of new distribution and transmission lines to the approximately 40,000 miles of lines currently managed by Entergy Arkansas.
- Replacing copper distribution wires with lighter, more reliable aluminum wires.
- Increasing tree-trimming and vegetation management efforts throughout the 25,600 square miles managed by Entergy Arkansas.
