WESTLAKE, La., March 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Louisiana's state-of-the-art Lake Charles Power Station began commercial operation March 28, providing another source of reliable and clean energy to a region that has seen substantial growth in recent years.
"We are excited to announce Lake Charles Power Station achieved commercial operations well ahead of schedule. It's a huge win for our customers," said Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana. "Not only does the addition of this plant make our generation portfolio, which was already one of the cleanest in the nation, even cleaner, but it also supports system reliability and produces substantial customer savings."
Combined-cycle gas turbine units like the Lake Charles Power Station emit on average about 40% less carbon dioxide than Entergy's older natural gas-powered units. Because of the plant's high efficiency, it has been projected customers will save between $1.3 billion and $2 billion over the anticipated 30-year life of the plant.
The $872 million project helps improve the region's overall reliability by locating the station in a rapidly growing area and avoids costly transmission projects that would otherwise have been needed to maintain reliability for the greater Lake Charles area.
Construction began on the Westlake facility in August 2017, and the plant officially reached commercial operation well ahead of its originally scheduled June completion date. At its peak, construction of the plant employed approximately 1,100 people. Ongoing operations of the plant will employ approximately 30 people.
Entergy Corporation Portfolio Transformation
The Lake Charles Power Station is another important milestone in Entergy Corporation's broader plan to modernize and transform the existing generation fleet of its utility operating companies while maintaining some of the lowest rates in the nation. Over the past 15 years, Entergy has added approximately 8,500 megawatts of clean, highly efficient combined-cycle gas turbine generation, allowing for the deactivation of over 6,500 megawatts of older, less efficient gas or oil units.
In addition to providing reliable, cost-effective power, Entergy's investments in its generation portfolio transformation and nuclear improvements since 2000 have resulted in substantial reductions in the company's greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting Entergy's commitment to environmental stewardship.
In 2001, Entergy Corporation became the first U.S. electric utility to voluntarily commit to capping greenhouse gas emissions. Most recently, the company announced a goal of reducing its carbon emission rate by 50% below year 2000 levels by 2030.
About Entergy Louisiana
Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to more than 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. It has operations in southern, central and northern Louisiana.
About Entergy Corporation
Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.
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SOURCE Entergy Corporation
