Entergy chief says ‘new nuclear’ could come to Arkansas

Entergy Corporation is evaluating the expansion of nuclear energy in Arkansas to address a significant projected increase in electricity demand, expected to triple or quadruple by 2050. This surge is largely attributed to the growing number of data centers and other industrial users. Entergy Chairman and CEO Drew Marsh indicated that existing sources like natural gas and solar would be insufficient, necessitating "new nuclear," potentially including small modular reactors (SMRs), despite daunting costs which might require federal aid or contributions from large data center customers. Marsh also chairs the Nuclear Energy Institute, advocating for the industry. In parallel, Entergy Arkansas President and CEO Laura Landreaux announced the company's "Fair Share Plus" pledge, ensuring data centers cover all incremental costs they create for joining the grid, as well as their portion of existing costs. Across Entergy's four-state service area, data centers are projected to contribute $7 billion that customers previously absorbed. Specific examples include the new Google data center in West Memphis and the AVAIO Digital data center in Little Rock, which are expected to save Entergy Arkansas customers $1.7 billion. Landreaux emphasized a commitment to responsibly manage these large loads while ensuring grid capacity and customer benefit. To meet immediate and future demand, Entergy Arkansas, which hasn't built power plants in 50 years, is constructing three new facilities with a combined capacity of three gigawatts: the Ironwood Power Station (natural gas) in Hot Spring County, the Jefferson Power Station (natural gas) in Jefferson County, and the Arkansas Cypress Solar and Battery project in Jefferson County. The utility is also exploring license extensions for its Arkansas Nuclear One plants in Russellville and considering converting coal plants to natural gas. Clint O’Neal of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission noted the state is actively competing for 92 projects, including data centers, totaling over $22 billion in capital investment and 22,000 new jobs.