Most airline passengers flying over Mississippi may just glance below at the bustling businesses along the state’s coast and river ports, but Entergy Mississippi is busy on the ground. The state’s leading utility provider is navigating economic development opportunities so industries and communities can benefit from the unique hub of transportation and trade resources available.
Mississippi’s 15 river, coastal and inland ports are critical to the state’s economic wellbeing supporting one out of every 10 jobs in the state; totaling more than 125,700. According to a report by the Mississippi Department of Transportation looking at the economic role of ports and marine transportation in the state, annually the ports contribute nearly $5.4 billion in income and nearly $17 billion in economic output positively impacting nearly 16 % of the state’s economy.
Ports Move Industry
Each year, Mississippi’s ports handle more than 55 million tons of cargo, supporting key industries such as petroleum, chemical manufacturing, steel and metal manufacturing, agriculture and ship building, to name a few. The ports also provide essential marine transportation and other services to some of the state’s largest and most important industries.
Three navigable waterways—the Mississippi River to the west, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the south—give Mississippi a unique transportation advantage whether through a general cargo vessel, container ship, tanker, dry bulk carrier or multi-purpose vessel. These ports are supported by multimodal connectivity via rail, highway and other waterways.
Entergy Mississippi Qualified Port Sites
Of Mississippi’s 15 public ports, two along the Mississippi River are perfectly positioned to support manufacturing industries on adjacent Entergy Mississippi Qualified Sites: The Port of Rosedale Industrial Park and Belwood Industrial Park located in the Natchez-Adams County.
The Rosedale-Bolivar County Port
Located in the Mississippi Delta, the Port of Rosedale is located between Greenville and Memphis. The port provides access to global markets for industrial-related jobs in the region by moving coiled steel plate, coiled wire rod, steel shapes, construction materials and other general cargoes. The port facilities also support regional farmers, resulting in increased revenue for harvested goods while also lowering the cost of fertilizer.
Publicly owned by the Rosedale-Bolivar County Port Commission, Entergy Mississippi’s Rosedale-Bolivar County Port Qualified industrial site is located adjacent to the port just off Highway 1, 18 miles west of Cleveland, Mississippi. Comprised of 1,200-acres with 1,123 developable acres available, the land can be divided to meet any manufacturing need with the largest tract possible of 500 acres. The hydraulic fill sites have direct access to barge facilities and the MS River. All utilities are adjacent to the site.
The Rosedale Industrial Park adjacent to the port property provides an additional 250 acres and has been designed with pipeline right-of-way. The Port is located at mile 585 A.H.P. on the lower Mississippi River and the 3.3-mile slack-water channel is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers to a minimum of nine feet draft which provides year-round service. The Port is the only port facility to be located within the federally designated Empowerment Zone.
The Natchez-Adams County Port – Belwood Industrial Park
Located on the Mississippi River, and protected by a levee, the 100-acre Belwood Industrial Park is served by the Natchez-Adams County Port providing 1,000 linear feet of flood-protected river access. The port complex includes highway access, two naturally deep-water general cargo docks, dry and liquid product bulk docks, warehousing, tank storage and several private terminals. Rail connection is available via the Natchez Railway which connects the spur of Canadian National Railroad in Brookhaven, Mississippi.
The Natchez-Adams County Port provides access to cost-effective waterborne transportation to industrial employers, natural resources companies and agriculture businesses across a wide area of the South.
Shipments at the port have included steel coils, steel shapes and plates, wood, timber, construction materials, fuels, liquid and dry fertilizers, other chemicals and minerals. The port is supporting the recent growth of regional oil and gas production by handling, storing and providing value-added services for steel pipe and frac sand.
Mississippi River ports are a key driver in the state’s economy, sustaining a variety industries dependent on the river to transport raw materials and products. Entergy Mississippi is pleased play a critical role by powering industries who leverage these unmatched assets.
Talk to us today about your clients’ port-access related needs. Contact Taurus Wright, Entergy Mississippi at twrigh3@entergy.com or 601-969-2349.
