(Photo from Entergy MS)
- The new station will be located in Greenville and will replace the Gerald Andrus Steam Electric Station.
Entergy Mississippi announced on Tuesday that it was building a new natural gas power station in Greenville.
The company said it plans to retire the Gerald Andrus Steam Electric Station, replacing the older power plant with more advanced and efficient technology once construction is complete and the new station in up and running sometime in 2028.
It is the first new natural gas power station Entergy Mississippi has built in 50 years. It will also be the first combined-cycle combustion turbine power station the company has built from the ground up.
Entergy’s goal is to ensure customers continue to have modern, reliable energy well into the future.
“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,” said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi.
According to a statement from the company, 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.
Entergy said that over the past two decades, they have bought three natural gas power stations, the most recent of which was Choctaw Energy Facility in French Camp in 2019. The others were Attala Plant in Sallis in 2006 and Hinds Energy Facility in Jackson in 2012.
In addition to the current natural gas units, Entergy said the Sunflower Solar Station near Ruleville and the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson are generating emission-free electricity and contributing to the company’s diverse and reliable power generation mix.
Entergy Mississippi purchased the solar facility in 2022 and owns a portion of the nuclear plant which has been in operation since 1985.
Entergy provides electricity to approximately 459,000 customers in 45 counties in Mississippi.