Killona, La. -- Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station operators connected the plant back to the electrical grid today. The site is now providing safe, reliable energy to assist in the massive power restoration effort after shutting down in advance of Hurricane Isaac.

"Once again, our ongoing efforts to maintain a high state of readiness to respond to any emergency proved successful," said Site Vice President Donna Jacobs. "I am very proud of the hard work of our employees to prepare and implement our severe weather procedures and grateful for the support of the entire Entergy Nuclear fleet."

The plant, located 25 miles from New Orleans, was safely shut down Tuesday before the full impact of Hurricane Isaac and received no storm-related damage. Entergy officials made the conservative decision to bring the plant offline in advance of Isaac's landfall.

Now that Waterford 3 has been reconnected to the electrical grid, power output will be increased in coordination with transmission grid operators and the Entergy Utility business.

Waterford and Entergy Nuclear teams worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local authorities to implement a thorough plan to bring the plant back online.

Prior to resuming power production, Entergy's ability to implement the Waterford 3 emergency plan was confirmed. The effort involved an extensive checklist verifying that evacuation routes were able to be traveled, that communication channels with public officials and parish emergency facilities were intact, and that the public alert siren system was functioning.

Waterford 3 sustained no damage from Hurricane Isaac. The robustly constructed plant is designed to withstand the impact of 200-mph hurricane winds and provided safe shelter for employees who remained to staff the plant throughout the storm. Steel-reinforced concrete containment structures protect the reactor, and redundant safety systems have been designed to withstand the impact of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and floods greater than the historical regional maximum.

Entergy's River Bend Station and Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson, Miss., continued to operate through the storm using severe weather procedures that involve pre-storm plant walk-downs, equipment checks and detailed staffing plans.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.