Dive Brief:
- Entergy Arkansas is planning a $62.2 million transmission line running from Monticello to Reed, with construction slated to begin later this year.
- The proposal includes a transmission line segment to the Monticello Industrial Park where Entergy will construct a new distribution substation to serve industrial and commercial customers who locate there.
- Officials say the transmission line is a long-term investment in the state's economy as well as being necessary to boost customer reliability.
Dive Insight:
Entergy Arkansas is planning a series of transmission investments aimed at boosting both reliability as well as attracting commercial and industrial investment in the state. The company expects to begin construction in the fourth quarter on a new transmission line which will cross parts of Drew and Desha counties, as well as making significant upgrades at Monticello Industrial Park.
"The Monticello project is a productive investment into the long-term future of our state's economy that will enable us to enhance customer reliability," Hugh McDonald, president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas, said in a statement. "Sustainable growth requires us to be disciplined, staying focused on keeping rates down and reliability up, while attracting new companies and expanding existing businesses. New growth translates into better jobs and more revenue for our communities to improve their schools, parks and roads."
The company noted that last year it proposed to acquire a generating unit at the Union Power Station near El Dorado, a $237 million investment aimed at helping modernize Entergy Arkansas' generation fleet. Entergy said from 2014 to 2017 it will invest $2.4 billion on generation, transmission and distribution improvements to the state’s electrical infrastructure.
"The Monticello project is one of several significant investments that will enable us to support any prospective large industrial customers that may choose to locate along the Mississippi River corridor between Reed, Ark. and Greenville, Miss.," McDonald said.
Entergy is already working on a $25 million transmission project in the southeast portion of the state. A 27-mile transmission line from Lake Village will terminate at the new Reed Substation. That project is being completed in four phases with the final segment expected operational in the summer of 2017.
