Edward Smith, edward.smith@sierraclub.org
Little Rock, AR -- Entergy Arkansas, the state’s largest monopoly electric utility, pivoted away from plans to build fracked natural gas power plants in its long-range energy plan filed with the Arkansas Public Service Commission last week. In its previous plan, filed with the PSC in 2018, Entergy Arkansas had planned to build a large fracked gas plant this decade, but its current plan has removed that plant, at least for now. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas that over a 20-year period absorbs 86 times more heat than carbon dioxide, which is why Sierra Club advocated against these investments as an intervenor in the planning process.
An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) details how Entergy Arkansas will meet energy demand for the next twenty years and beyond. The IRP is mandated every three years by the Public Service Commission (PSC), which regulates utilities like Entergy Arkansas, in exchange for their monopoly status and guaranteed return on approved investments.
Earlier this year, a federal judge approved a settlement with Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association that locks in retirement dates by 2030 for Entergy’s Independence and White Bluff coal power plants and the Lake Catherine fracked natural gas power plant. The settlement also requires Entergy to bring 800MW of affordable renewable energy to the Arkansas PSC for approval no later than 2027, a process that is already underway. In January, Entergy Arkansas received a C in Sierra Club’s Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges report it released. An update to the report will be released early next year.
The Entergy Arkansas IRP can be found here.
Statement from Glen Hooks, Sierra Club’s Arkansas Chapter Director:
“It is good to see Entergy pivot away from a substantial investment in fracked natural gas in its final IRP compared to its initial draft. The risks of gas are well documented, including volatile price spikes and widespread failure during the February freeze, environmental destruction caused by fracking, and releases of dangerous methane emissions during the extraction, transportation, and burning of gas. It is clear that gas is not a bridge to a sustainable future and must be excluded from utility goals to reach net-zero emissions because of our changing climate. Because IRPs are non-binding, it is my hope that Entergy Arkansas avoids gas investments in the future and focuses on a clean energy portfolio that can deliver reliable and low-cost energy to its customers.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.