Entergy and NextEra are bringing a new wave of solar and storage development to the Southern United States that will significantly bolster the portfolio of renewables in the region.

Entergy and NextEra Energy Resources LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc., today announced a joint development agreement of up to 4.5 GW of new solar generation and energy storage projects.

“We’re excited about this joint development agreement, which will enable Entergy to provide our customers with low-cost, renewable energy as demand grows across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas,” said Rod West, group president of utility operations for Entergy.

“We believe the power sector is at an inflection point, and growing electricity demand will be met by low-cost, renewable generation and storage,” added Rebecca Kujawa, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Resources. “We’re pleased to reach this agreement because it further strengthens our long-standing collaboration and adds up to 4.5 GW on top of the more than 1.7 GW of renewable energy projects already underway with Entergy.”

Texas is a utility-scale solar powerhouse, ranking second nationally with more than 32 GW of installed capacity, but the other states in Entergy’s territory aren’t as far along. Louisiana has just 617 MW installed, and only 0.7% of its electricity comes from solar (in Texas it’s more than 6%, for comparison). Mississippi ranks 37th in the country with about 577 MW installed; Arkansas is 27th with 1.1 GW and about 2% of its energy mix comes from solar.

The landscape in the region is shifting, however.

Last month, the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved Entergy Louisiana’s proposal to add up to three gigawatts of economic solar power to its generation portfolio, marking what the utility calls the largest renewable power expansion in the state’s history.

EDP Renewables North America recently announced a 175-MW solar project in Mississippi County, Arkansas called Crooked Lake Solar Park that will directly support Arkansas’ electric grid. In Mississippi, the first of three solar plus storage projects from Origis Energy and Tennessee Valley Authority has reached commercial operation; the triumvirate is expected to be completed next year.

Originally published in Renewable Energy World.

Southeast Texas is experiencing economic and population growth, leading to a “significant” rise in electricity demand that Entergy Texas says has created the need to add 40% more generation capacity to its power grid in four years.

• The Legend Power Station is a 754 MW, $1.46 billion combined-cycle facility that will be located in Port Arthur, Texas. This project would be carbon capture-enabled and feature a hydrogen-capable combustion turbine, the company said.
• The Lone Star Power Station is a 453 MW, $753 million combustion turbine facility that will be located near Cleveland, Texas and would feature a hydrogen-capable combustion turbine.

The proposed generation resources are expected to be in service by 2028, Entergy said. The Public Utility Commission of Texas will consider approval of these power plants in the coming months.

“As Texas continues to grow, so does our need for more dispatchable, reliable power to help businesses in Southeast Texas and across our great state thrive,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott. “Entergy’s two new power stations will help bolster the electric grid, adding over 1,000 megawatts of generation capacity in four years.”

Entergy Texas’ dispatchable generation application is part of the company’s Southeast Texas Energy Plan, also known as STEP Ahead. The six-step plan aims to add an additional 1,600 MW of generation capacity to the power grid by 2028, transmission to get power where it’s needed and grid-hardening projects to help Southeast Texas withstand extreme weather.

“This approval underscores our commitment to meeting operational and sustainability needs, driving economic development, and protecting the environment,” said Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana President and CEO. “It’s a significant win for the future of our state. I want to thank everyone who helped see this proposal come to fruition, including our local officials and regulators.”

The approval authorizes a streamlined procurement and approval process that will enable the construction of several solar resources within Louisiana. This initiative aligns with Entergy Corporation’s plans for growing its renewable energy resources by 2031 and its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the utility said.

Today, nearly 25% of Entergy Louisiana’s generation portfolio comes from carbon-free resources, including nuclear and renewable technologies. Entergy Louisiana’s long-term vision includes more investment in clean energy infrastructure, especially utility-scale solar. The company’s vision also includes further funding of energy efficiency programs and partnerships with local stakeholders to promote sustainability and resilience.

Entergy Louisiana currently has approximately 230 MW of renewable resources, including the Capital Region Solar facility, which was the first utility-scale solar project approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission and began delivering power to the grid in October 2020. In January of this year, the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved a solar filing consisting of approximately 225 MW of renewable projects, bringing the operating company’s total solar portfolio to over 3,800 MW in various stages of development and approval.

The project is aimed at improving resilience and reliability for communities and industries along the coast. Situated atop a barge across from a substation in Leeville, the power station would play a role in supporting areas like Port Fourchon, Golden Meadow, Leeville, and Grand Isle through a microgrid system.

Key components of Entergy Louisiana’s overall project would include the construction of Bayou Power Station, expansion of the Leeville substation, and transmission connections. The microgrid system would provide backup power during outages, serving a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial customers, including industries located at Port Fourchon.

Hundreds of companies use Port Fourchon, which services 95% of the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater energy production and handles 10-15% of the nation’s domestic and foreign oil, as a base of operation. Meanwhile, the strip from Golden Meadow to Grand Isle serves as a hub for the seafood industry. There are also many companies in the area that provide manufacturing and other services to both the energy and seafood industries.

Entergy Louisiana says the addition of Bayou Power Station would complement projects that have been completed over the past few years to build resilience into the electric system near the coast. Examples of these projects include the Caminada substation, which was elevated 20 feet off the ground on a concrete platform; upgrading around seven miles of transmission lines with about 80 steel structures between Cut Off and Golden Meadow; and undergrounding around eight miles of distribution lines along Louisiana Highway 1 from Leeville to Grand Isle and taking strategic steps to fortify the overhead electric system in the area.

2023’s Release of New Regulations was the first Mega Session held at POWERGEN. Regulations highlighted in the 90-minute panel included New Source Performance Standards, the Good Neighbor Rule, Effluent Limitation Guidelines, Coal Combustion Residuals and others.

But a majority of the time was spent talking about proposed carbon emission standards for coal-fired plants and new and existing natural gas-fired plants. The technology-based standards, proposed by EPA in May 2023, lean on hydrogen co-firing and carbon capture and sequestration (CCUS) as strategies for decarbonizing these plants.

Nick Hutson, Energy Strategies Group Lead at EPA and one of the Mega Session panelists, said the agency has heard from various groups and stakeholders during the comment period leading up to the final rule being issued.

The comment period ended December 20, with a finalized rule expected in the Spring.

As we’ve reported, the power industry is fractured over EPA’s proposal. Some utility trade groups say the proposal should not be finalized, while others say improvements are needed. Still other utilities have thrown their support behind it. Opposition to the rule often comes with concerns that its implementation would jeopardize reliability.

While emissions reduction is EPA’s primary objective, Hutson said the agency always wants to “make sure that we’re not adding to the problem unnecessarily.”

“We always do modeling to evaluate what is the projected outcome of our policies,” he said.

As the rule is currently proposed, any coal-fired power plant intending to operate past 2040 would have to install a CCS system that captures 90% of its CO2 emissions by 2030. Any large, frequently operating natural gas-fired power plant would have to either install a 90% capture CCS system by 2035 or operate nearly entirely on clean hydrogen by 2038.

Generators that can’t meet the new standards would be forced to retire.

Jordan Flanagan spoke on the panel representing the Institute of Clean Air Companies (ICAC), a trade association representing technology, equipment and service providers in the power sector.

She said the proposed EPA rules offer both opportunities and challenges for ICAC members.

“Our members have a lot of proven technologies that are available right now to deploy commercially,” said Flanagan, Policy and Programs Associate for ICAC. “But they’re also seeing lots of opportunities and challenges for some of the newer concepts posed by the greenhouse gas power plant rule. There’s a lot of uncertainty around it.”

David Triplett, Sr. Mgr. Environmental Policy & Sustainability at Entergy, offered a utility’s perspective on the proposed rules.

He said while the rules are only proposed and are subject to change before being finalized, they are “important additional inputs” that utilities need to factor into their generation planning processes.

“Our sector really is at an inflection point in terms of change with how we’re meeting resource adequacy requirements,” said Triplett.

Entergy is already taking an “all of the above” approach to resource planning, with a goal of 50% carbon reductions from its fleet by 2030 and to be completely net-zero by 2050.

Triplett said Entergy has signed memorandums of understanding with “a number of partners” to include all potential technologies.

“We’re investigating every possible path to find the one that’s going to be most cost effective and effective feasible for our fleet to get to [net-zero],” he said.

Triplett was asked about what he expects to be the most significant challenges in complying with the proposed power plant emission rules.

“With the with the hydrogen and CCS aspects, there’s significant infrastructure that needs to be built out to support those technologies at our generating facilities that doesn’t exist today or exist in a limited extent,” he said.

Triplett added the caveat that if it does happen, “it will happen here first,” speaking on the existing pipelines in the Gulf Coast region.

Regarding other potential compliance considerations, Triplett noted the importance of timing. With multiple proposed power sector regulations expected to be finalized in 2024, he said thoughtful alignment of compliance requirements is critical to ensuring effective utility resource planning, integration of new generation and continued reliable operation of existing generation resources.

For example, Entergy plans to exit coal by 2030, yet coal compliance dates from the EPA come both before and after Entergy’s anticipated coal retirements.

“Our hope is as EPA takes action to finalize these rules, these various dates will become into closer alignment,” said Triplett. “From our perspective, we don’t want to have to dedicate additional capital to units that are going to deactivate in the near to medium term that could otherwise be deployed more productively for new generation.”

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, the newly-minted chief executive of Entergy New Orleans, surveyed the damage. But it was the quiet that struck her most.

Less than 90 days in the role, Rodriguez encountered a fatality, tornado, hurricane, and a public relations storm that swirled around the company’s new peaker power plant.

Rodriguez clearly realized that her charge of leading the utility into a more resilient and cleaner future would not come without costs.

“It’s expensive and requires a lot of communication,” Rodriguez said during the keynote address at POWERGEN International 2024 in New Orleans.

Rodriguez’s role requires her to think about the future. An order from the New Orleans City Council to submit a resiliency plan in response to Hurricane Ida further solidified the imperative.

Seeing into the future, though, can be daunting. Especially without a roadmap.

Brian David Johnson, an applied futurist and professor who headlined the POWERGEN keynote, pushed attendees to embrace the power of “dumb ideas” when planning for the future.

An idea is only “dumb” until someone realizes its genius, he said. The exercise also triggers imaginative collaboration that will be critical as the power industry evolves in the coming decades.

Johnson himself went through the process as an internal futurist at IBM, tasked with predicting consumer behaviors for chip investments that take 10-15 years to materialize.

“You’ll see your team, and yourself, do some crazy stuff,” Johnson said. “You have really important things to solve, and this is a way to actually go through and begin to solve them, and come up with some of those things that people have never thought of before.”

Large corporations, like Microsoft, are dependent on the power industry to evolve and embrace The Next Big Thing, in large part due to ambitious climate and clean energy goals.

Todd Noe, Microsoft’s director of nuclear technologies engineering, told the POWERGEN International keynote audience that nuclear energy stands to play a pivotal role in the company’s carbon-negative efforts. He added that small modular reactors (SMR), hydrogen, and long-duration energy storage technologies could also prove crucial.

“Our vision is we seek to have a decarbonized grid, not just for Microsoft, but our customers around the world,” Noe said. “We don’t see any one carbon-free technology that’s going to be the answer.”

A piece of that puzzle, particularly in the future, is carbon capture and storage.

Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary for the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, said scaling carbon capture retrofits for aging coal fleets will be “critical” to meeting international climate obligations.

“Demonstrating U.S. leadership here at home, scaling up the technology, reducing costs, and building industry confidence can have a global impact,” Crabtree said.

To start identifying recommendations for accomplishing this vital task, the Accelerating the Energy Workforce Development Workshop was held Monday at POWERGEN International 2024. Outcomes from the workshop, facilitated by the nonprofit U.S. Women in Nuclear organization, will help in the creation of a report offering recommendations on developing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce as energy industries gear up for rapid expansion.

What is exactly the size and scope of this challenge? Representatives of Idaho National Laboratory, who moderated the workshop, set the stage for what the industry faces.

It is well-known that diverse perspectives allow companies to craft more effective solutions. Despite this, and even though half of the global energy workforce is in clean energy, only 26% of the energy workforce is female and 24% minorities. One major challenge identified when it comes to staffing for nuclear energy is a small applicant pool, with many of those applicants not having the technical skills needed. In addition, the need for jobs in nuclear energy is quite diverse, encompassing regulatory, construction, manufacturing/supply chain, wholesale trade, professional and business services, and more.

The goal of this small and very interactive roundtable discussion was to help attendees identify ways to develop a diverse pipeline and ensure gender equity and a growth plan for the industry.

Four expert panelists addressed the situation from three key angles: readiness, recruitment, and retention.

Concerning readiness, Kimberly Cook-Nelson, executive vice president of nuclear operations and chief nuclear officer with Entergy, said her company employs a variety of initiatives, starting with working as early as the elementary school level in the communities it serves, to reach the potential future energy workforce. As stated above, employees needed for the industry include accountants, human resources, electricians, and more as well as engineers. At the university level, Entergy’s efforts include providing $7 million in grants and scholarships to historically black colleges and universities and working on a radiation protection program at a Mississippi university that has translated to 19 employees for the company.

On the topic of recruitment, Erin Hultman, vice president of member and corporate services and chief financial officer with the Nuclear Energy Institute, said it is important to understand the size and scale of the challenge. Among NEI members alone, which represent just over half of all nuclear production in the U.S., it is anticipated nuclear production will more than double over the next 10 to 15 years, based on plans (not aspirations). In addition, about 300 small modular reactors may be installed, with “everything that goes along with that,” Hultman said.

Finally, regarding retention, Nicole Hughes, director, North America Nuclear at Thomas Thor, pointed out that while developing a career path for employees is nice, one caveat is it’s not an approach that works for everyone. Kara Temple, MBA, member of the board of directors at Allied Power, shared her own experience with regard to retention in the industry. She recalled working at a company where she took the initiative to set up three rotation opportunities for herself with office directors, only to have her boss deny her request to cross-train, three times. Temple said it’s important to create a holistic experience so employees can try different things, even potentially offering them the opportunity to move to different locations within the company so they can find their best fit.

Hughes left attendees with a memorable impression of the challenges, and how changing the way they’re viewed can yield results: “The rainbow-colored unicorn you’re looking for might not be available. Maybe a zebra might be a better fit for you,” she said.

POWERGEN International 2024 officially begins Tuesday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The event promises a week of education, networking and business between power producers, utilities, EPCs, consultants, OEMs, large-scale energy users and more.

At last count, the 2024 event is seeing a 42% increase in utility representation from 2023. Large-scale energy users are up 32% from last year. We have also enhanced the attendee onsite experience by bringing back the Power Park and, in the spirit of New Orleans, adding Creole cooking demos in one of our show floor Knowledge Hubs.

The event features a dynamic Keynote speaker lineup featuring thinkers and executives representing utilities, government and major power consumers. For those in attendance, there may even be a surprise or two.

POWERGEN’s technical conference program features nine tracks in 2024. The jam-packed program features presentations highlighting case studies, new breakthroughs and leading insights relevant to the power and utility industries. Click here to read about some of the most highly-anticipated sessions.

Sprinkled in are two mega sessions, which are 90-minute, high-level industry panels with thought leaders who dive deep into the most relevant topics related to the power sector. These mega sessions are open to all attendees.

But many people were in New Orleans before POWERGEN even began for a day of pre-conference learning.

Nearly 40 people attended site visits to Entergy’s New Orleans Power Station and Ninemile 6 plant. At New Orleans Power Station, attendees received an up-close look at the seven Wärtsilä 50SG engines providing a total output of 129.5 MW to the New Orleans area. At Ninemile 6, attendees got to see SPOT – The agile mobile robot, which conducts remote inspections. Attendees at Ninemile 6 also toured the combined-cycle units and water lab.

The show also brought back POWERGEN University (PGU) in 2024. The two- and four-hour courses offered intensive opportunities for attendees to gain skills and knowledge.

The most widely attended PGU course was Hydrogen Impacts on Gas Turbines: Performance, Emissions and Potential Regulations, which was led by Bobby Noble and Benjamin Emerson. The course explored often misunderstood or non-obvious impacts of combusting hydrogen in gas turbines, with discussion about gas turbine operability, emissions and combustion dynamics.

“This is kind of the make or break time to ensure that we set ourselves up for achieving a lot of the 2040, 2050 goals that are set in across most of the countries worldwide,” Noble told attendees.

POWERGEN International runs through Thursday.

The Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (R.I.C.E.) technology at New Orleans Power Station is more responsive, offers additional flexibility and operates at higher efficiency than the traditional generation units. New Orleans Power Station features seven Wärtsilä 50SG engines that provide a total output of 129.5 MW to the New Orleans area.

WATCH: Highlights from the POWERGEN International 2024 Tech Tour at New Orleans Power Station

Ninemile 6 is a 2×1 CCGT site with two 180 MW GE 7FA gas turbines and one 241 MW Toshiba Steam turbine that remotely operates Washington Parish Energy Center, a Simple Cycle Gas Turbine (SCGT) site with two 195 MW GE 7FAs turbines. Ninemile 6 can complete remote rounds using SPOT – The agile mobile robot.

Attendees received an up-close view of SPOT and a demonstration of its remote use. Attendees will also tour the combined-cycle units and water lab.

All of the above are great reasons to attend “Accelerating the Energy Workforce Development Workshop,” hosted by POWERGEN and the U.S. Women in Nuclear (WIN).

The workshop, held Jan. 22 from 12:00 – 5:00 pm at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, will engage attendees in the generation of a Workforce Development report, which will offer recommendations on developing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce as energy industries gear up for rapid expansion. Workshop attendees will be listed as co-authors on the report.

The event will begin with a presentation that provides an overview of gaps and needs in the current energy workforce. This will be followed by a moderated panel discussion featuring utility, trade union, academia and national laboratory representation. This diverse panel will share perspectives and experiences, providing a well-rounded view of workforce dynamics within the energy sector.

Participants will then engage in interactive breakout sessions, collaborating to brainstorm and workshop ideas. The goal is to formulate actionable plans that address the identified gaps and needs, focusing on fostering diversity, equality and inclusivity within the workforce. The ideas from this workshop will feed into a report that will be issued later this year via Power Engineering and U.S. WIN.

This solutions-focused workshop is open to a broad spectrum of industry professionals, including operators, human resources representatives, managers, directors and anyone with a vested interest in workforce development within the energy sector. REGISTER TODAY

Panelists include:

Kimberly Cook-Nelson, Executive Vice President of Nuclear Operations & Chief Nuclear Officer of Entergy:

Kimberly Cook-Nelson is executive vice president of nuclear operations and chief nuclear officer of Entergy, where she is responsible for the safe, secure and reliable operations of Entergy’s four nuclear power plants and five reactors located in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Prior to her current role, she served as chief operating officer, nuclear operations and as Entergy’s vice president, system planning and operations. In Kimberly’s 27 years with Entergy, she has held roles in the headquarters office as well as various leadership positions of increasing responsibility in her 18 years at Waterford 3 nuclear station.

Erin Hultman, Vice President, Member and Corporate Services; Chief Financial Officer:

Erin Hultman is the Vice President of Member and Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer of Nuclear Energy Institute where she is responsible for financial and investment functions as well as workforce development and corporate operations. She also serves as Treasurer for NEI and Nuclear Matters.

Erin has over 30 years of experience assisting non-profit organizations align their resource allocation to the mission. She is a tax-exempt specialist responsible for financial strategy, business development, and regulatory compliance.

Kára M. Temple, Board of Directors at Allied Power, MBA, Former Miss USA:

Kara recently received her MBA from Louisiana State University. Prior to enrolling in her MBA program, for approximately 7 years Kara served as a Reactor Engineer for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She focused on emergency preparedness for decommissioning and licensing radioisotope production facilities, ISFISIS, and small modular reactors initial design approval.

Sarah Dankanich, Supply Chain Manager, Cost Estimating at X-energy:

Sarah Dankanich is the Cost Estimating Manager for X-energy’s Supply Chain, leading the Cost Estimating organization to compile industry pricing for clients in preparation for the deployment of the Xe-100, X-energy’s first Small Modular Reactor.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, and Previous to this role spent ten years at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy supporting the Supply Chain in strategic contract negotiation and procurement, as well as supporting the Commercial Operations division working directly with the nuclear utilities.

Pre-registration is mandatory for the workshop, and attendees are encouraged to visit the registration resource center or contact info@powergen.com for details, including any applicable fees.

To participate, there is a registration fee of $100. Secure your spot today to be part of this transformative event!