Leo Denault, Entergy chairman and CEO, recently sat down with Grid Talk podcast, a series of conversations with the leaders and innovators shaping the 21st century energy grid. Denault discussed a number of current topics with podcast host Marty Rosenberg, including the severe wind damage to the electric grid caused by Hurricane Ida and how electric utilities and policymakers must be mindful of customers’ pocketbooks when accelerating upgrades to strengthen the electrical grid.

Transmission circuit serves more than 4,000 customers, including Ceres Industrial Park

Entergy and our customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas are no strangers to severe weather. We thought we had faced it all—from ice storms and tornadoes to unnamed tropical disturbances and 2005’s mighty Hurricane Katrina. Then came the historic 2020 Atlantic hurricane season and Hurricane Laura, the strongest storm to hit Louisiana since 1856.

Transmission plays a vital role in contributing to Entergy’s environmental and sustainability strategy. One way we are meeting our commitment to diversifying our generation portfolio is as a Transmission Owner in the MISO Definitive Planning Process, or DPP. MISO’s DPP is an avenue for Entergy to support the development of renewable energy across our service territory and for prospective Interconnection Customers to interconnect new generation facilities to our transmission system.

The China-Stowell Transmission Project is a new 25-mile, 230kV transmission line that provides an “additional lane” to provide reliable and affordable electricity to the area.