Entergy has broken ground at the company’s newly announced 754-megawatt (MW) Delta Blues Advanced Power Station in Greenville, Mississippi – a $1.2 billion investment.
Alongside the groundbreaking, the company also recognized the 50th anniversary of the Gerald Andrus Steam Electric Station, which will be retired when the new plant comes online in 2028.
The project includes more than 300 construction jobs in the area over the next several years and additional tax revenue for Washington County. Entergy will employ about 21 full-time personnel to operate the plant when it comes online.
The new facility will be equipped with a combined-cycle combustion turbine and dual-fuel technology. While natural gas is the primary resource, it will be designed to potentially support blended hydrogen in the future. Once complete, Entergy Mississippi said the Delta Blues Advanced Power Station will be the most efficient power-generating facility in its fleet.
“The groundbreaking of the Delta Blues Advanced Power Station is a significant step in our plan to transform our power generation portfolio for the future,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO. “We’re experiencing historic economic growth in our state. Investing in cleaner, more efficient power generation now will help us keep bills lower for customers than they otherwise would be in the future.”
Earlier this year, Entergy Mississippi announced it was building a new natural gas-fired plant for the first time in 50 years, which will be the first combined-cycle combustion turbine power station the company has built from the ground up.
Entergy Mississippi claims it is producing more electricity from the same amount of fuel while reducing carbon emissions by replacing older power plants with “more advanced and efficient” technology.
Over the past two decades, the utility has bought three natural gas power stations – Attala Plant in Sallis (2006), Hinds Energy Facility in Jackson (2012) and Choctaw Energy Facility in French Camp (2019). In addition to the current natural gas units, the Sunflower Solar Station near Ruleville (built in 2022) and the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson (built in 1985) are generating electricity and contributing to the company’s power generation mix. Entergy Mississippi purchased the solar facility and owns a portion of the nuclear plant.
