News Release > Entergy Louisiana customers to see less fees and a bill credit from two separate LPSC settlements

Entergy Louisiana customers to see less fees and a bill credit from two separate LPSC settlements

08/15/2024

Settlements enable more grid investment, expand eligibility for bill discounts and resolve litigation

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved two settlements Wednesday that will benefit Entergy Louisiana customers, support the company’s operations and investments in the state’s power grid over the next three years and end long-running litigation at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding Grand Gulf Nuclear Station.

These approvals are a pivotal step in ensuring that Entergy Louisiana continues to provide clean, reliable and affordable electric service to more than a million customers across the state. Key components of the rate settlement include a reduction of late fees, elimination of connection and reconnection fees and the expansion of eligibility for low-income senior bill discounts.

The commission’s modification and extension of Entergy Louisiana’s formula rate plan includes key provisions designed to protect customers while positioning the utility to support the state’s growing economy. The approved rate framework also caps profit margins and commits the company to strict reliability targets.

The formula rate plan, which sets a utility’s base rates using actual costs and revenue with annual adjustments, better positions Entergy Louisiana to make necessary improvements to the grid. These improvements are critical not only for everyday life in our homes, schools, hospitals and businesses, but also for attracting new investments that bring well-paying jobs and drive local spending. This settlement sends a clear message that Louisiana is open for business and is ready to support industrial and commercial operations with a stable and reliable power grid.

Resolution of litigation

In addition to the formula rate plan, the commission’s decision also authorizes settlement of long-running litigation at the FERC involving Entergy Louisiana, System Energy Resources, Inc. and the commission. This resolution, which is subject to approval by FERC, would result in millions of dollars in refunds to customers. The timing of the refund from SERI to Entergy Louisiana is dependent upon action at the FERC. SERI is an Entergy subsidiary that is the majority owner of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson, Miss. 

Key customer benefits

The approved regulatory blueprint includes several modifications designed to benefit customers directly:

• Reduction of late fees: The amount of late fees charged to customers who fall behind on their bills will be reduced.
• Elimination of connection and reconnection fees: Fees associated with connecting and reconnecting services will be eliminated.
• Expansion of low-Income senior discounts: Eligibility for monthly discounts will be expanded to include more low-income older adults.

While these changes come with a modest increase in customer bills, the company believes the benefits of a reliable and stronger power grid far outweigh the costs.

To eliminate legacy rate structures and to ensure all residential customers pay the same rates across the states, Legacy Entergy Louisiana customers and Legacy Entergy Gulf States customers will see different monthly changes.

Legacy Entergy Louisiana customers who use about 1,000 kWh per month will see an initial bill increase of approximately $0.20 per month, while Legacy Entergy Gulf States customers using the same amount of electricity will experience an increase of approximately $6.30 per month. However, for Legacy Entergy Gulf States customers, this impact will decrease to around $3.90 per month by early 2025. These rate structure changes will largely eliminate regional pricing differences, marking the first time that all Entergy Louisiana residential customers are charged the same base rates.

Commitment to reliability and resilience

Entergy Louisiana remains committed to continuing its investments in projects that strengthen the electric system’s reliability – keeping the lights on with minimal service disruptions – and resilience, ensuring a swift recovery when outages do occur. The commission’s approval of phase one of Entergy Louisiana’s resilience plan, combined with the regulatory blueprint, sets the stage for a prosperous and brighter future for Louisiana.

“We deeply value the trust our customers place in us and are proud to be their utility provider,” said Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO. “With the commission’s approval, we look forward to continuing to serve our customers with excellence, now and into the future.”

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 Louisiana is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), a Fortune 500 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.