‘We deliberately apply our organizational strengths to overcome external challenges and make progress toward our long-term aspirations. We are committed to continued progress in 2010.’
Future

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NOT BY CHANCE

Committing to Future Progress

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t Entergy, our aspirations, point-of-view-driven business model, experienced employees and commitment to sustainable development drive our success. We deliberately apply our organizational strengths to overcome external challenges and make progress toward our long-term aspirations. We are committed to continued progress in 2010.

Safety and Environmental Commitments

We will strive to achieve an accident-free work environment at every work location by reinforcing the appropriate culture, systems and behaviors to make safety everyone’s responsibility. We will provide safety programs that emphasize employee participation, regular self-evaluation and a comprehensive approach to consistently meet performance-based criteria. Entergy work sites will be encouraged, but not required, to apply for certification under the Occupational Safety and Health Association’s Voluntary Protection Program.

We will continue to execute our five-year comprehensive strategic safety plan and its six initiatives. The plan targets a 50 percent reduction in Lost Work Day Incident Rate performance and an enhanced focus on eliminating all fatalities. As teams for each of the initiatives identify best practices and gaps in our performance, we will implement safety programs to close gaps.

We will strive to be the cleanest power generator in America – one that voluntarily limits its greenhouse gas emission levels and conserves natural resources in as many ways as possible. We will strive to support efforts to preserve the air, water and biodiversity in the areas where we operate. To that end, we will continue to execute against our comprehensive environmental plan, which is focused on voluntarily stabilizing our greenhouse gas emissions, coastal restoration, energy efficiency, environmental community improvements and recycling.

We will continue to invest in our clean generation portfolio by pursuing investments in new or repowered assets that are efficient and provide lower cost alternatives for our utility customers. We will also preserve our option for new nuclear development and pursue opportunities to explore renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower.

We will work with policymakers to establish a smart carbon policy in the U.S. that includes finding a fix for conventional coal plants, the single largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions. We will advocate aggressively for action on the climate change issue, which we believe is one of the most important challenges our society faces.

Low-Income and Social Responsibility Commitments

We aspire to break the cycle of poverty and contribute to a society that is healthy, educated and productive. Our Low-Income Initiative will continue to focus on assisting needy customers and breaking the cycle of poverty by:

  • Improving the flow of funds to low-income customers by advocating for funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and raising customer assistance funds under the Power to Care program.
  • Helping customers better manage their energy use through weatherization and conservation education efforts by Entergy Corporation and its utility operating companies.
  • Moving customers toward self-sufficiency by educating them about available benefits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, supporting innovative efforts like the Individual Development Accounts program with the Foundation for the Mid South, and funding education and job-training programs and research.

More detail on the specific initiatives we will use to meet our low-income commitments is available in our Low-Income Customer Assistance Initiative Progress Report at entergy.com.

We will support and strengthen the communities we serve through corporate giving, employee giving and volunteerism. Our corporate giving is focused on educational and environmental initiatives as well as efforts to assist people living in poverty.

We will support the development of an engaged and diverse work force. We are committed to providing our employees with opportunities to grow and reach their full potential. We are committed to building an inclusive work environment that values the contributions and talents of each individual.

Financial Commitments

For 11 years, Entergy has applied its proven strengths to overcome external challenges and deliver value to its stakeholders. Going forward, we will continue to form and take action on well-informed, dynamic points of view. We will remain disciplined financial stewards, prudently managing cash flows and associated risks, and maintaining strong liquidity and solid credit metrics that support ready access to capital on reasonable terms. As dictated by our stakeholders and our risk management principles, we will invest our cash in dividend growth, share repurchases, debt retirements and reinvestment opportunities in our business. Entergy is resourceful, adaptable and relentless in its pursuit of growth. As we have in years past, we will continue to diligently apply our strengths to generate positive results for our stakeholders.

In this report and from time to time, Entergy Corporation makes statements as a registrant concerning its expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, and future events or performance. Such statements are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “project,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” “plan,” “predict,” “forecast,” and other similar words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the only means to identify these statements. Although Entergy believes that these forward-looking statements and the underlying assumptions are reasonable, it cannot provide assurance that they will prove correct. Any forward-looking statement is based on information current as of the date of this report and speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, Entergy undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There are factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including those factors discussed or incorporated by reference in (a) Item 1A. Risk Factors in the 2009 Form 10-K, (b) Managemen’s Financial Discussion and Analysis in the Form 10-K, and (c) the following factors (in addition to others described elsewhere in this report and in subsequent securities filings):

  • resolution of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including various performance-based rate discussions and other regulatory proceedings, including those related to Entergy’s System Agreement, Entergy’s utility supply plan, recovery of storm costs, and recovery of fuel and purchased power costs
  • changes in utility regulation, including the beginning or end of retail and wholesale competition, the ability to recover net utility assets and other potential stranded costs, the operations of the independent coordinator of transmission for Entergy’s utility service territory, and the application of more stringent transmission reliability requirements or market power criteria by the FERC
  • changes in regulation of nuclear generating facilities and nuclear materials and fuel, including possible shutdown of nuclear generating facilities, particularly those owned or operated by the Non-Utility Nuclear business
  • resolution of pending or future applications for license renewals or modifications of nuclear generating facilities
  • the performance of and deliverability of power from Entergy’s generation resources, including the capacity factors at its nuclear generating facilities
  • Entergy’s ability to develop and execute on a point of view regarding future prices of electricity, natural gas, and other energy-related commodities
  • prices for power generated by Entergy’s merchant generating facilities, the ability to hedge, sell power forward or otherwise reduce the market price risk associated with those facilities, including the Non-Utility Nuclear plants, and the prices and availability of fuel and power Entergy must purchase for its Utility customers, and Entergy’s ability to meet credit support requirements for fuel and power supply contracts
  • volatility and changes in markets for electricity, natural gas, uranium, and other energy-related commodities
  • changes in law resulting from federal or state energy legislation or legislation subjecting derivatives used in hedging and risk management transactions to governmental regulation
  • changes in environmental, tax, and other laws, including requirements for reduced emissions of sulfur, nitrogen, carbon, mercury, and other substances, and changes in costs of compliance with environmental and other laws and regulations
  • uncertainty regarding the establishment of interim or permanent sites for spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste storage and disposal
  • variations in weather and the occurrence of hurricanes and other storms and disasters, including uncertainties associated with efforts to remediate the effects of hurricanes and ice storms (including most recently, Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the January 2009 ice storm in Arkansas) and recovery of costs associated with restoration, including accessing funded storm reserves, federal and local cost recovery mechanisms, securitization, and insurance
  • effects of climate change, and environmental and other regulatory obligations intended to compel reductions in carbon dioxide emissions
  • Entergy’s ability to manage its capital projects and operation and maintenance costs
  • Entergy’s ability to purchase and sell assets at attractive prices and on other attractive terms
  • the economic climate, and particularly economic conditions in Entergy’s Utility service territory and the Northeast United States
  • the effects of Entergy’s strategies to reduce tax payments
  • changes in the financial markets, particularly those affecting the availability of capital and Entergy’s ability to refinance existing debt, execute share repurchase programs, and fund investments and acquisitions
  • actions of rating agencies, including changes in the ratings of debt and preferred stock, changes in general corporate ratings, and changes in the rating agencies’ ratings criteria
  • changes in inflation and interest rates
  • the effect of litigation and government investigations or proceedings
  • advances in technology
  • the potential effects of threatened or actual terrorism and war
  • Entergy’s ability to attract and retain talented management and directors
  • changes in accounting standards and corporate governance
  • declines in the market prices of marketable securities and resulting funding requirements for Entergy’s defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans
  • changes in decommissioning trust fund values or earnings or in the timing of or cost to decommission nuclear plant sites
  • the ability to successfully complete merger, acquisition, or divestiture plans, regulatory or other limitations imposed as a result of merger, acquisition, or divestiture, and the success of the business following a merger, acquisition, or divestiture
  • risks and uncertainties associated with unwinding the business infrastructure associated with the contemplated Non-Utility Nuclear spin-off, joint venture and related transactions.