Entergy and NextEra plan to develop 100 MW solar PV project in US

Entergy Arkansas, LLC, and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. plans to build a 100-megawatt solar energy facility in White County near Searcy. This project, pending approval by the Arkansas Public Service Commission, will be the largest utility-owned solar facility in the state and the first to feature a battery for storing solar power. This will be Entergy’s third large-scale solar project in Arkansas.

The project, which is expected to be in service by 2021, will be designed and built by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, and, upon completion, will be purchased by Entergy Arkansas. The emissions-free, renewable energy facility will be built on approximately 800 acres east of Eastline Road (US 67, Exit 44) in Searcy.

Currently Entergy Arkansas purchases 81 MW of solar energy from NextEra Energy Resources at a solar facility near Stuttgart. The company also will purchase another 100 MW of solar energy from NextEra Energy Resources’ Chicot Solar project at Lake Village when the plant comes online in 2020. The construction phase of the Stuttgart Solar Energy Center created approximately 200 construction jobs, and Chicot Solar is expected to employ a similar number of workers. Combined, the projects are estimated to generate $900,000 per year in property taxes.

The Searcy project consists of building both a new solar plus battery generation powered by an array of lithium-ion batteries capable of storing up to 30 MW hours of electricity. The stored energy is expected to be charged and discharged daily to maximize the value of the solar energy.