It’s no secret that Texas is growing…and growing fast. In just one year, nearly half a million people relocated to the Lone Star State. The significant population boost means there is now a significant need for more power, as electricity is an essential part of our everyday lives.
The demand for more power is even greater in Southeast Texas, specifically the Entergy Texas service area. Harris and Montgomery counties are two of the state’s fastest-growing communities, and the Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange market is one of the fastest-growing industrial areas in the entire country.
To help bring attention to this time-sensitive challenge, Entergy Texas hosted the inaugural Southeast Texas Energy Leadership Summit. The event connected over 200 industry, community and political leaders to discuss innovative solutions and collaborative approaches essential for meeting the region’s evolving energy needs.
“The summit provided an engaging platform to explore energy solutions that will help support the growth to come and continue to fuel economic prosperity in the region,” said Eliecer Viamontes, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. “Based on our own growth projections, there’s a need to increase the amount of power generation in our region by 40% in just four years.”
Attendees had the opportunity to engage with industry experts during panel discussions and hear from key decision-makers, including former U.S. Secretary of Energy and current President & CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, Dan Brouillette; Public Utility Commissioner of Texas, Kathleen Jackson; and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Glenn Hegar. Each keynote speaker reiterated the critical need to develop an energy plan that supports the growing needs of our communities.
Those in attendance also received a preview of Entergy Texas’ Southeast Texas Energy Plan, also known as STEP Ahead. The six-step plan includes transmission, generation and resiliency investments aimed to strengthen the Southeast Texas power grid. Details of the comprehensive energy plan are expected to be announced in the coming months.
