Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons says a new power plant being built in Washington County could be a boon to the local economy.

For the first time in 50 years, Entergy Mississippi is building a new natural gas power station. The facility will be the first combined-cycle combustion turbine power station the company has built from the ground up.

“It is a great day to witness the profound significance and impact of the $1.2 billion new Entergy plan for Greenville, Washington County, and the Mississippi Delta,” Simmons told the Clarion Ledger. “This initiative is a transformative project that promises to bring significant economic growth, improved infrastructure, and enhanced energy reliability to the region. For Greenville, the plan means a boost in job creation, particularly in the construction and energy sectors, which could lead to increased employment opportunities for local residents.”

The combined-cycle combustion turbine facility is a dual-fuel technology. While natural gas is the primary resource, the advanced facility will be designed to support blended hydrogen to produce reliable energy, according to Entergy.

When completed in 2028, this will be the fourth natural gas power station built by Entergy in the last two decades, following Attala Plant in Sallis (2006), Hinds Energy Facility in Jackson (2012) and Choctaw Energy Facility in French Camp (2019).

“As our customers’ needs and environmental factors evolve, so must our fleet. We’re investing in cleaner, more efficient power generation now, to help us keep bills lower for customers than they otherwise would be in the future,” Entergy president and CEO Haley Fisackerly said in a statement.

More nuclear power in MS? Mississippi lawmakers, energy experts agree more nuclear power is in state’s future. See why

Simmons said the Entergy plan represents a major step forward in modernizing the energy grid in the Mississippi Delta, ensuring that residents and businesses have access to more reliable and sustainable energy.

“As an advocate for investments that uplift underserved and rural communities, I see this project as a key driver in bridging the development gap in the region,” Simmons said. “The plan aligns with the city’s long-standing efforts to promote economic revitalization, infrastructure improvement, and environmental sustainability, not only in Greenville but across the Delta. This partnership with Entergy showcases Greenville as a forward-thinking city, ready to embrace modern solutions for growth while addressing the needs of its citizens and businesses alike.”

New chicken wing restaurant: New Jackson restaurant takes flight. Get the details

Eventually, the company will retire the Gerald Andrus Steam Electric Station, which is currently located in Greenville. By replacing older power plants with more advanced and efficient technology, Entergy Mississippi says it is producing more electricity from the same amount of fuel while reducing carbon emissions.

Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.

Former NFL player and Mississippi native Brett Favre has filed a motion to expand his defamation lawsuit against Mississippi State Auditor Shad White.

On Sept. 27, Favre’s legal team submitted a new complaint stating that White’s new book “Mississippi Swindle: Brett Favre and the Welfare Scandal that Shocked America,” through its title and within its pages, defamed Favre.

“The book itself falsely states, among other things, that Favre had been ‘taking money he knew should go to people in “shelters,”‘ and had been ‘trying to hide that fact from the media and the public,’ and also accuses Favre of committing the felony of money laundering,” Favre’s attorneys wrote in the Sept. 27 filing.

White’s book was published in early August, and Favre is now the third person featured within who has publicly called into question their portrayal by White. State Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Mississippi GOP Chairman Mike Hurst told reporters in August they considered the book to stretch truths or mischaracterize them entirely.

Favre initially filed the defamation suit against White in 2023 for social media posts calling his character into question and also about a civil case surrounding the Mississippi welfare scandal, in which individuals and companies collectively took millions of dollars from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds through the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

Favre’s testimony in D.C. ‘I didn’t know what TANF was’: Brett Favre testifies before Congress about MS welfare scandal

More on related lawsuits with Favre What did Shannon Sharpe do? Brett Favre seeks to reinstate defamation lawsuit

Those TANF funds were supposed to be funneled to the state’s poorest and most needy residents, but they weren’t, and Favre has repaid more than $1 million in TANF dollars he received for speaking engagements. White is also suing Favre to pay back about $729,000 in interest he allegedly owes on those funds.

Fitch earlier this year dropped White as a client in the lawsuit with Favre, and White told reporters it was over her office’s portrayal in his book. She is also suing to block White from trying to reclaim the interest funds, saying White does not possess the authority to sue Favre.

Favre has not been criminally charged, but In 2023, the state also named Favre as one of 38 defendants in a civil case filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Service aiming to reclaim about $77 million in misspent TANF funds, $5 million of which paid for a new volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.