Entergy Mississippi announced plans to build a 754-MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Vicksburg. The $1.2-billion facility will replace the former Baxter Wilson Steam Electric Station, as part of the utility’s Superpower Mississippi strategy.
The company has called the plan “the largest grid upgrade in the company’s history, which makes distribution improvements, adds new generation and prioritizes keeping customers’ rates affordable while building an all-of-the-above generation mix that makes the electric grid more reliable and efficient.”
The new Vicksburg Advanced Power Station is the third recently announced Entergy project, joining the similar Delta Blues Advanced Station in Greenville, Mississippi, and the Traceview Advanced Power Station in Ridgeland. The Delta Blues plant is replacing the Gerald Andrus Steam Electric Station, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in November of last year.
The Delta Blues plant is scheduled for completion in 2028, and will be the first and newest power plant Entergy has built in the past 50 years. The Traceview facility is scheduled to come online in 2029, with the Vicksburg station to follow. Entergy said the Vicksburg station will be equipped with combined-cycle combustion turbine technology that primarily uses natural gas and is also designed to support blended hydrogen in the future, the same technology planned for the Delta Blues and Traceview stations.
“Today, we are in a global race to secure leadership in the emerging industries of the future—and one of the most critical ingredients in this race is energy. A top priority of mine will be continuing to bring more available, affordable and reliable energy to our state. Entergy’s massive $1.2-billion investment will help us further solidify Mississippi as a leader in American energy production. This is another historic day for energy and economic development in Mississippi,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.
Entergy Mississippi on October 21 said the new plants will serve the utility’s 459,000 customers. Entergy in a news release said, “Replacing legacy power plants with new, highly efficient power generation sources provides long-term savings to customers. Modern natural gas plants are 40% more fuel efficient than older facilities, saving customers more money on future bills for decades to come.”
The company added, “In the short term, the construction of this and other new generation units at the time of new large industrial technology customers’ investments in the grid—like Amazon—will reduce forecasted bill increases by 16% over the next five years. Savings include an estimated $1.3 billion in the materials and equipment costs to build new power plants today, compared to the cost to build those facilities on their original schedules. Given the inflationary trends in materials and construction costs, building facilities now will save customers money.”
Entergy also wrote, “Our diverse generation portfolio offers us flexibility to lessen the impact on customers’ bills should one fuel source spike in price. Additionally, we expect to pass on to customers an estimated savings of $700 million in fuel costs over the life of the new units.”
“Vicksburg is one of the four original cities we began serving in 1923, and we’re proud to continue our legacy here with the Vicksburg Advanced Power Station,” said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi. “We’re building new natural gas plants in our service area for the first time in more than 50 years. Replacing older plants has been in our long-term resource plan for several years, but we’re taking advantage of the economic growth happening in our region to bring modern generation technology online sooner, while minimizing the rate impact to customers’ bills.”
Fisackerly added, “These upgrades are not only important to keeping bills affordable for customers, but also to making sure we have the capacity to promote economic development, recruit new and higher paying jobs, and power residential, commercial, industrial and technology growth for Mississippi’s future.”
Entergy said the Vicksburg plant “represents a significant economic impact for the area, including more than 560 construction jobs over the next several years and additional tax revenue for Warren County. Entergy will employ about 21 personnel to operate the plant once completed.”
“Our reliability effort announced last month combined with this additional commitment to develop new power generation sources means our Superpower Mississippi plan is bringing more power and better power to customers, all at a lower cost to them,” Fisackerly said. “Our state leaders have been instrumental in recruiting large industrial customers, like Amazon, that afford us the ability to provide these significant benefits to customers. And, thanks to support for that growth from Governor Reeves, the Mississippi State Legislature and the Mississippi Public Service Commission, all customers will benefit from lower bills than they otherwise would have seen in the future. We’re also grateful to local leaders, like those in Warren County, who welcome these investments that not only help their communities prosper but also serve Mississippi families and businesses throughout the western half of the state.”
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
