News Release > Entergy Louisiana receives approval to purchase 475 MW of solar power, add green tariff option

Entergy Louisiana receives approval to purchase 475 MW of solar power, add green tariff option

09/21/2022

Agreement to significantly grow company’s renewable resources in the state

BATON ROUGE, La. – Entergy Louisiana today received approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission to grow its portfolio of renewable power by adding 475 megawatts of new-build solar generating capacity, which will nearly triple the company’s total renewable generating capacity in the state.

The commission also approved the company’s Geaux Green option, a new green tariff – the first in the state – which will provide customers the opportunity to subscribe to, and get benefits from, renewable energy resources. Geaux Green will offer an additional option for Entergy Louisiana customers interested in renewable sources and, for some, help them address their sustainability goals.

“Our customers are increasingly interested in renewable energy, and the LPSC’s approval of these resources enables Entergy to bring more solar power to Louisiana and offer a green tariff to interested customers,” said Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO. “We continue to make great strides toward expanding our green portfolio and these solutions will help us continue to provide more affordable, cleaner and more reliable power today and into the future.”

Under the approved contracts, the company will receive carbon-free power from four solar facilities across the state, including:

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

Most sites are expected to begin delivering power to customers in 2024, with the St. Jacques facility coming online in 2025, subject to receipt of local permits and approvals.

Once constructed and ready to connect to the power grid, Entergy Louisiana will purchase power from the Vacherie, Sunlight Road and Elizabeth solar facilities under 20-year agreements. The St. Jacques solar facility will be under a build-own-transfer agreement, meaning Entergy will own and maintain the facility after construction is complete. 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.

“DESRI is pleased to provide Entergy and its customers with another 350 megawatts of clean energy projects with this important milestone,” said Hy Martin, Chief Development Officer of DESRI. “Delivering reliable, affordable energy to Entergy Louisiana while producing economic growth in local communities is essential to DESRI’s partnership with Entergy and more broadly across the country.”

Entergy Louisiana currently has approximately 280 megawatts of renewable resources, including the Capital Region Solar facility, which began delivering power to the grid in October 2020.

More information will be available in the coming weeks on enrollment opportunities for Geaux Green.

In June 2022, Entergy Corporation discussed plans for up to 7 gigawatts of renewable resources by the end of 2025, and as much as 14 to 17 gigawatts of renewable resources by the end of 2031. These Louisiana solar facilities are another milestone in the modernization of Entergy’s power generation portfolio, helping meet customers’ needs for cleaner, more efficient and diverse energy solutions. Learn more about our renewable energy generation growth at entergy.com/renewable-energy.

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, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans. Entergy Corporation powers life for 3 million customers through its operating companies across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy is creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future for everyone with our diverse power generation portfolio, including increasingly carbon-free energy sources. With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, Entergy is a recognized leader in corporate citizenship, delivering more than $100 million in economic benefits to local communities through philanthropy and advocacy efforts annually over the last several years. Our approximately 12,000 employees are dedicated to powering life today and for future generations.

About D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments

E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) and its affiliates develop, acquire, own, and operate long-term contracted renewable energy assets in the U.S. DESRI's portfolio of contracted, operating, and in-construction renewable energy projects currently includes more than 65 solar and wind projects representing more than 6 gigawatts of aggregate capacity. DESRI is a member of the D. E. Shaw group, a global investment and technology development firm with more than $60 billion in investment and committed capital as of June 1, 2022, and offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.desri.com.

Please visit www.desri.com for more information about DESRI.

About Opdenergy

Opdenergy is an independent renewable energy producer, or IPP, in Europe, the United States and Latin America with more than 15 years of experience. The company develops, builds, finances, manages and operates high quality renewable energy projects in several countries. Opdenergy has a platform of secured assets with a total gross installed capacity of 2.4GW in operation, under construction and pre-construction phases. In addition, Opdenergy has a portfolio of pipeline projects at different stages of development of around 11GW that support its growth strategy.

Opdenergy plays an important role in the decarbonization of energy in the different countries in which it operates. It is present and has pipeline projects in five markets in Europe (Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, France and Poland), in the United States and in three markets in Latin America (Chile, Mexico and Colombia).

Opdenergy, which is listed in the Spanish main stock exchange, has secured more than 2.6GW of PPA contracts in different countries with investment grade off-takers and in hard currency.

For more information please visit www.opdenergy.com/en/.