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A reliable power grid is fundamental to economic and community vitality.
That’s why Entergy Louisiana prioritizes investments that enhance dependable service and minimize disruptions to the electric system for households and businesses. This also reduces vulnerabilities for the state’s large industrial base and critical infrastructure, including emergency services, healthcare facilities and local law enforcement, for example.
Through a robust program of ongoing maintenance, upgrades and proactive measures, Entergy’s commitment to reliable service supports economic growth and the safety and security of local communities, says Steven Benyard, Entergy’s vice president of reliability in Louisiana.
AT A GLANCE
Top executives: Phillip May, President & CEO; Steven Benyard, VP, Reliability; Michelle Bourg, VP, Customer Service; Ed Jimenez, VP, Business and Economic Development; Jody
Montelaro, VP, Public AffairsPhone: 1.800.ENTERGY
Address: 446 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Website: Entergy.com
“We understand that, especially after a storm, restoring power quickly allows people to get back to their daily lives by returning to work or supporting their communities and spending time with their families.”
Entergy’s data-driven inspection and maintenance program analyzes historical outages and leverages new technologies to identify infrastructure needing repair, replacement or upgrading throughout the year. This process enables Entergy to target resources and maintenance where it’s most needed, enhancing system-wide reliability.
Upgrading generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, including modernization and adopting cutting-edge engineering-design and materials standards, fosters system reliability by adapting to changing weather and environments. For example, parts of the system most susceptible to tropical systems are now designed to withstand up to 150 mph winds.
Vegetation management also plays an increasingly prominent role in reliability, especially considering that parts of Louisiana are heavily wooded and severe weather can occur year-round.
Advanced technology, including smart grids and equipment like reclosers and trip savers, provide instantaneous detection of system damage or disruption and facilitate quicker restoration of power. Automated processes also can reroute power, minimizing the number of affected customers.
“Instead of a fault impacting an entire circuit, we can pinpoint where the damage is, minimize the number of affected customers and restore power much quicker,” Benyard says. “It’s an improvement in overall system performance and reliability.”
Enhancing reliability also involves maintaining a diverse power generation portfolio that includes sources like natural gas, nuclear and renewables like solar. The importance of a diverse portfolio was seen during recent extreme winter weather.
“We were able to keep the lights on without performing any load shed because we have a diverse system of generation that we can rely upon,” Benyard says.
Working toward a more reliable and resilient future is also critical to meeting future load demand from continued regional growth.
While Entergy provides power to Louisiana-based customers, its operations have global impacts, given the state’s natural resources, critical infrastructure and pivotal position as a key pipeline for the world economy.
“Reliability is important not just for residents who live here, but for the world,” Benyard says. “When we have a storm, we strive to get the lights on faster and make sure folks can get back to their business quickly because when they’re down, it’s not just the local economy, it’s the world that feels that. That’s why our reliability programs are so important.”
