Insights > Entergy earns national award for commitment to economic development
03/23/2023
Entergy has been named a top U.S. utility by Business Facilities magazine for our commitment to economic development. We are one of just 14 utilities recognized in this national roundup.
“Entergy provides much more than electricity and gas. We’re committed to enriching the lives of our customers and communities,” said Mark Kleehammer, vice president of commercial and industrial journey and products at Entergy. “This recognition as a top utility in economic development reflects our ongoing dedication toward giving back to the Entergy region and identifying opportunities for business relocation and expansion within our service territories.”
Business Facilities assessed a variety of criteria, including incentive programs for commercial and industrial customers, infrastructure investments and sustainability performance, to determine this year’s honorees.
Customer partnerships
Investments in our region represent a variety of industries and companies from around the world, and we partner closely with these companies for the benefit of the communities we serve. Most recently, U.S. Steel and Entergy Arkansas collaborated on the development of a $3 billion next-generation steel mill in Northeast Arkansas. The project is expected to create 900 jobs within the local community.
Entergy Arkansas has a long-standing record of collaboration with commercial and industrial customers. In 2015, we provided a special rate contract on the electricity and construction of $73 million in substation and transmission lines to help facilitate the development of Big River Steel, bringing $1.3 billion in investments to the state of Arkansas.
Grid resiliency
To address the ongoing threat of severe weather, Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans have established comprehensive Future Ready plans. They’ve also made regulatory filings to boost the resilience of our region’s electric infrastructure to enhance our ability to withstand and recover from major weather events.
Education and workforce development
With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, we’re a recognized leader in corporate citizenship. Since 2006, Entergy has awarded $80.7 million in educational grants to support workforce development across our four-state region through the Entergy Charitable Foundation.
Environmental sustainability
In 2022, we reaffirmed our 2020 commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, and we expect to reach 50% clean, carbon-free power generation capacity by 2030. We also anticipate 50% reduction of our carbon dioxide emissions rate by 2030.
Additionally, Entergy was recently named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, a global standard for benchmarking corporate sustainability performance, for the 21st consecutive year. We maintain our industry leadership as one of just four companies in the electric utility sector included in the 2022 North America Index.
History of economic development
For 15 consecutive years, Site Selection magazine has recognized Entergy as a major player for economic growth in the communities we serve, which include some of the largest and most power-intensive industries in the United States.
In 2022, we secured $39.5 billion in capital investments, announced 75 new projects and supported the creation of nearly 24,000 new jobs within the Entergy region. Our approximately 12,000 employees also have a decades-long history of giving back to our communities.
In 2008, Entergy launched a state-of-the-art site selection website that empowers prospective customers with the tools they need to locate commercial and industrial properties. The website currently features 1,700 site listings. We also offer site selection, project management, large project and contract services.
“We’re grateful for this honor as a premier utility in economic development,” said Kleehammer. “We strive to build a brighter future for all, and we’re dedicated to propelling economic growth within our communities for generations to come.”
To learn more about our economic development efforts, visit: goentergy.com/our-region.
Kaelen Delaune
Communications Specialist II
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