Entergy, NextEra Agree to Develop New Solar, Storage Projects

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Utility firm Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) (New Orleans, Louisiana) and NextEra Energy Resources, the merchant clean energy unit of NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida), last week entered a five-year agreement to develop up to 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of new solar and energy-storage projects.

"We believe the power sector is at an inflection point, and growing electricity demand will be met by low-cost, renewable generation and storage," said Rebecca Kujawa, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Resources, in a June 7 press release. "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."

Although the companies did not specifically announce where the projects would be located, Rod West, group president of utility operations for Entergy, said, "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."

Among NextEra's solar and storage projects in those four states is its $220 million West Memphis solar farm in Crittenden County, Arkansas, which is designed to produce 180 megawatts (MW) from photovoltaic (PV) panels and wrap up around the end of the year. According to the project website, Entergy Arkansas will purchase the output, "subject to the review and approval by the Arkansas Public Service Commission." Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here to read the project report.

Also underway is NextEra's construction of the $400 million Waco solar project in Limestone County, Texas, which would utilize an estimated 917,590 PV panels for up to 400 MW of solar generation. The project is expected to wrap up in mid-2025. Subscribers can click here for more information.

NextEra also is developing the combined 100-MW, $138 million Amite Solar Energy Center in Tangipahoa County, Louisiana, on the southeastern border of the state. This includes an 80-MW solar array utilizing 30,000 PV panels from First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona), while a 20-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) will utilize Tesla Incorporated's (NASDAQ:TSLA) (Austin, Texas) Megapack battery technology to provide power when the sun isn't shining. The project, which broke ground in March, is expected to wrap up around spring 2025. Click here to read the project report.

Click here for a full list of active and planned renewable-generation projects from parent company NextEra.

The NextEra-Entergy agreement comes as Entergy aims to integrate a mix of sources in its power-generation fleet and continues to decarbonize its portfolio. One such project is the ongoing construction of Entergy Louisiana's Orange County Advanced Power Station, a combined-cycle hydrogen/natural gas-fired power plant designed to produce 1,243 MW. Completion is planned for mid-2025. Click here to read the project report, and click here for the plant profile.

Entergy aims for as much as 15 to 17 gigawatts of renewable sources of electricity by the end of 2031. For more information on the utility's project activity, see March 15, 2024, article - Entergy Plans Diverse Power Generation Mix.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).