Governor Reeves’ “Power Play” seeks to make Mississippi a national leader in energy

• “While I’m proud of the big role Mississippi plays in America’s energy production, I know we can do even more,” Reeves said.

State and federal officials met with energy leaders for three hours in Jackson on Thursday to explore how to make Mississippi an energy-producing powerhouse, a cornerstone to the governor’s Mississippi Power Play.

Governor Tate Reeves described the meeting as “productive,” saying “it was the first of several meetings” held to look at “bold solutions” to make Mississippi a bigger exporter of energy and to attract business.

“While I’m proud of the big role Mississippi plays in America’s energy production, I know we can do even more. It’s clear to win in the future, we have to do more,” Reeves said.

Natural gas, nuclear, and oil and gas companies and cooperatives, as well as federal and state leaders, participated in the summit. The governor added that after the meeting, he had a better understanding of the growth barriers Mississippi is facing.

Throughout a 45-minute press conference after the summit, Reeves stressed the need to “knock down” regulatory hurdles. 

“What we are going to do is knock down the roadblocks so [businesses] can come here,” he said.

However, Reeves admitted, some of the “roadblocks” are federal regulations and outside of the Magnolia State’s control.

Reducing the bureaucratic red tap would open up Mississippi to energy companies, the governor put forward, and Mississippi has a simple message for them: “If you want to produce energy, Mississippi is a damn good place to do that.”

Reeves said energy production was key in helping Mississippi become the second-fastest-growing economy in the country and the fourth-largest income growth in 2024. 

The governor pointed to massive projects like the data center in Madison County and a battery facility in Marshall County.  He continued that producing more energy will attract advanced manufacturers to take relocating to Mississippi seriously.

Bill Cork, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, said several projects worth $70 billion and 20,000 jobs are in the pipeline. 

“All have significant energy demands,” Cork said. 

If the state cannot supply the energy, he warned, those jobs will go elsewhere.

Reeves said the group discussed an array of energy sources, from small module nuclear power to natural gas. He also said the state needs to “double down” on natural gas.

While Reeves did not go into great detail about the summit talks, he did say discussions focused on security, enhancing infrastructure, innovations, workforce development, supply chains, and regulatory issues in Mississippi.

When asked how to balance traditional energy sources with new green technologies, Reeves said, “If it’s affordable and reliable, I am for it.”

Those in attendance at the energy summit included:

• Raffaele De Bellis, Hub Manager at ABB
• David Touhey, Managing Director at Ara Partners
• Matt Davidson, President of Atmos Mississippi
• Leo Manuel, Managing Partner at Balch and Bingham
• Mike McMahon, Senior Vice President at Boardwalk Pipeline
• Jim Halford, Member at Brunini Law Firm
• Curt Hebert, Former FERC Commissioner now at Brunini 
• Wilson Montjoy, Attorney at Butler Snow
• Tim Potter, Director at Chevron   
• Jeff Bowman, President/CEO at Cooperative Energy 
• Tim Poche’, CEO at Delta Utilities 
• Michael Callahan, Executive Vice President/CEO at Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi 
• Kevin Fitzgerald, Chief Utility Officer at Energy Impact Partners 
• Haley Fisackerly, President/CEO at Entergy Mississippi
• Dominic Genetti, Senior Vice President, Carbon Capture and Storage at Exxon Low Carbon Solutions 
• Kirk Sorensen, President, Chief Technologist, and Founder at Flibe Energy 
• Michael Howard, CEO at Howard Industries 
• Dylan Arnette, Public Affairs Specialist at Kinder Morgan 
• Patrick Sullivan, President at Mississippi Energy Institute 
• Anthony Wilson, outgoing President at Mississippi Power 
• Pedro Cherry, incoming President at Mississippi Power 
• Steve Caminati, VP for Government & Regulatory Affairs at Pattern Energy 
• Kenneth J. Nemeth, Executive Director at Southern States Energy Board 
• Justin Maierhofer, Senior VP and Chief of Government Relations at Tennessee Valley Authority
• Mike Kopp, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy 
• Benjamin Reinke, Vice President of Global Business Development at X-energy