Entergy Mississippi, LLC recently closed its purchase of the 810-megawatt Choctaw County Generating Station. The transaction represents a major step toward modernizing the electric grid and providing additional efficient, clean energy for customers.
Located near French Camp, Mississippi, the Choctaw County Generating Station entered commercial operation in July 2003. It is a clean and modern combined-cycle natural gas turbine unit, consisting of three combustion turbines, a steam turbine and an air-cooled condenser. The plant will employ 27 people.
“Today’s announcement is one more step toward modernizing our generating fleet and moves us forward in our quest to provide greater reliability, lower emissions and cost savings to our customers,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO.
“It also gives us a presence in Choctaw County, and we’re excited about the partnership we’ll have with the local community and its leaders and look forward to working with them as a corporate partner.”
In August 2018, Entergy Mississippi announced it had entered into a purchase agreement with a subsidiary of GenOn Energy, Inc., to buy the plant for $314 million, subject to certain adjustments. That amount is significantly less than the cost to build a comparable facility and provides more immediate benefits and savings for customers.
The facility’s technology uses natural gas and its steam byproduct to produce clean, affordable electricity. It is also environmentally-friendly and furthers Entergy Corporation’s reputation as one of the cleanest utilities in the country.
The Choctaw County Generating Station is another important milestone in Entergy’s broader plan to modernize and transform the Entergy Utility’s existing generation fleet. Over the past 20 years, the Entergy Utility has added approximately 8 gigawatts of clean, highly efficient generation, allowing for the deactivation of over 6 gigawatts 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 air emissions, highlighting Entergy’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
The company recently stepped up its commitments again with plans to reduce utility carbon dioxide emissions rates to 50% below year 2000 levels by 2030.