Entergy plans to invest $37 billion through 2028 to expand clean energy capacity, strengthen grid resilience and support rapid industrial growth in Louisiana and across its other service areas in the Gulf South.
The investment, highlighted in Entergy’s newly released 2024 Performance Report, will fund improvements in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. Company leaders say the plan positions Entergy to meet rising demand from new industries—particularly data centers.
“We have assembled a strong capital plan that will serve these large customers, improve the resilience and reliability of our system for the benefit of all customers and help positively position the Gulf South region for further business investment. … This [investment] represents a significant increase in capital requirements and reflects the growth we are seeing in our region,” a statement from Entergy Chairman and CEO Drew Marsh reads.
Economic expansion in the Gulf South is projected to drive a 6% to 7% compound annual growth rate in Entergy’s retail sales through 2028. Industrial sales alone are expected to grow by 12% to 13% annually, with nearly 60% of that growth coming from large data center customers. The company has already announced major data center projects with Meta in Louisiana and Amazon in Mississippi.
A key focus of Entergy’s strategy, according to the aforementioned report, is the transition to cleaner energy sources. The company says it operates one of the cleanest large-scale power generation fleets in the nation and plans to add more than 5,000 megawatts of solar capacity by 2028. Recent additions to Entergy’s renewables portfolio include five new solar facilities across Arkansas and Louisiana, which contribute over 700 megawatts of clean energy.
To meet growing energy demand, Entergy is also investing in new natural gas plants. Projects such as the Delta Blues Advanced Power Station in Mississippi and the Orange County Advanced Power Station in Texas are currently under construction.
And when it comes to grid resilience, Entergy says it will continue to invest in strengthening its systems against extreme weather events. Last year, the company began work on 73 distribution hardening projects and 11 transmission projects, seven of which have already been completed. Entergy expects the number of completed projects to grow “significantly” this year.
