At Entergy, we’re keenly aware of our responsibility to live up to the great legacy of innovation in our industry.
Thomas Edison turned the first light bulb on in 1878. Nikola Tesla created the grid as we know it today. And over the century and a half since these men lived, our industry has kept the lights on and the grid strong. We have weathered wars and depressions, storms and disasters, the rise and collapse of various market bubbles.
Year over year, as technology and innovation have become even more integrated into our daily lives and work, electricity has become more indispensable.
And in the past few years as Entergy has continuously improved the way we meet this expanding need for electricity, our territory has been a beacon for economic growth.
Over the past eight years alone, Louisiana has attracted more than $62 billion in new capital, largely in energy-intensive industries, creating nearly 100,000 new jobs.
Texas, particularly around Beaumont and Houston, is also growing. The Beaumont area alone has attracted more than $14.2 billion in capital and created thousands of new jobs, with more on the way.
Mississippi is also making strides to attract new growth and jobs as well, with the Governor and our regulators leading the way.
In Arkansas, since 2006, per capita income has grown at almost twice the national average. And recently, the state landed the single largest investment in its history – the Big River Steel plant, in Osceola, which will use as much power in about four minutes as the average U.S. home uses in a year.
While we continue to maintain rates for our customers at about 20% below the national average, we are also modernizing our fleet, strengthening reliability and laying the foundation for years of future growth:
While all of this investment in our infrastructure strengthens the safety and reliability of the power we provide, it helps drive growth and brings jobs to the states we serve.
Looking forward, there’s no question that a healthy power industry will be as critical for the next century as it has been for the last. And there’s no question that our industry and the way power is generated, delivered and consumed will evolve and change.
We pledge to help drive this evolution by working with regulators and utilities, solar companies and nuclear generators to build on our legacy of invention and innovation. This is the best contribution we can make to a prosperous future for the communities we call home.
