Entergy enters new clean energy supply agreements with U.S. Steel, Sempra Infrastructure

Published on January 31, 2022 by Chris Galford

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Between its Louisiana and Arkansas branches, Entergy Corporation has this month entered into two new agreements with major industrial companies – Sempra Infrastructure and U.S. Steel, respectively – for hundreds of megawatts of clean energy.

“We are collaborating with our customers to meet their needs and help them achieve the outcomes they desire,” Leo Denault, Entergy chairman and CEO, said. “They need energy solutions that are not only affordable and reliable, but increasingly clean, and we are delivering products to help them achieve their important environmental and sustainability objectives.”

While the supply to Sempra Infrastructure will be around 300 MW of demand, the exact figures for U.S. Steel have not been released. However, U.S. Steel recently selected Osceola, Ark., as the location for a new, sustainable, advanced steel mill, which Entergy Arkansas will power. Denault noted that Entergy’s increasing shift to clean energy stems from new constructions like this, wherein customers are promoting interim and long-term emissions reduction goals.

This is a major point of note, given that Entergy’s four-state service territory along the Gulf of Mexico is home to the largest industrial base in the United States. Industrial customers make up approximately 40 percent of Entergy’s electricity demand today. The company has announced both clean electrification and green tariff options for them as they push to reduce emissions.

To date, Entergy has proposed more than 700 MW of combined, scalable new green tariff capacity in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi to further its customers’ sustainability goals.

However, Entergy has its own emissions reduction goals, coupled with renewable energy gains. Last year, it announced plans to triple its renewable energy portfolio over three years and to reach 11 GW by 2030. At the same time, it intends to halve its baseline CO2 emissions rate by 2030 and reach the national goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. This will encompass all of Entergy’s businesses.