Entergy unveils largest renewable power plant in Mississippi – The Dispatch

Entergy Mississippi introduced Thursday the completion of the Sunflower Photo voltaic Station undertaking, which is now the most important renewable power plant in Mississippi.

The Sunflower County facility, which sits on 1,000 acres in Ruleville, is slated to return on-line by mid-July. The plant has a 100-megawatt capability, about twice as a lot as any energetic renewable facility within the state.

The brand new photo voltaic undertaking additionally represents a 50 % improve in Mississippi’s general renewable power capability amongst its energy firms.
Previous to the Sunflower plant’s completion, the state as a complete had about 220 megawatts of renewable capability from eight completely different amenities, based on information from the Public Service Fee.

The undertaking is the primary a part of Entergy Mississippi’s not too long ago introduced initiative to interchange a few of its pure fuel crops with renewable sources. The corporate’s purpose is to succeed in 1,100 megawatts of renewable capability, or 30 % of the facility it produces, by 2027. Entergy is the most important energy supplier within the state with 461,000 clients.

That initiative is a major dedication within the state’s clear power transition, which Mississippi has left largely to utilities and market forces to determine reasonably than coverage round emissions, as Mississippi At the moment reported in February. Nearly 2 % of the state’s generated electrical energy comes from renewables, in comparison with 20 % for the USA as a complete.

The now low price of manufacturing solar energy, in addition to firms seeking to incorporate renewables into their operation, are key drivers in Mississippi’s transition.

“There’s one evolution in financial growth that we’re seeing, and it’s a requirement for renewable power,” Laura Hipp, Deputy Director of the Mississippi Growth Authority, stated on the announcement Thursday. “Virtually half of the requests that are available in for brand new tasks, they’re in search of half or all electrical energy from renewable sources. Whether or not they’re headquartered right here or out of state, they’re asking about renewable power.”