Multi-state Entergy Transmissions Meeting to be Held Thursday

The newly formed Entergy Regional State Committee (ERSC) will convene for the second time Thursday in New Orleans to discuss the structure of the Entergy Transmission System, which serves Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

The ERSC held its first meeting in August 2009 — the first time Southern states have met to offer collective state regulatory agency input on the operations of and upgrades to the Entergy system. The ERSC is comprised of regulatory commissioners from agencies in the four states. State Public Service Commission Chairman Brandon Presley will represent Mississippi.

Entergy transmissions spokesman Larry Daspit said that with the ERSC, you now you have regulators from all four states sitting with ICT (Independent Coordinator of Transmission), Entergy and others to plan a way to structure the transmission system to work for everybody, “instead of four different commissions looking just at their areas.”

“The regional view of the Entergy transmission system is the best way to look at the system for expansions and upgrades because it takes into account all of those who use the system or receive service from it,” Daspit added.

The ICT is a regulatory body that essentially answers to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Entergy’s transmission system comprises 15,500 miles of high-voltage transmission wires and has a total capacity is 23,000 megawatts, Daspit said.

The company as a whole delivers power to 2.7 million people in the four Southern states. Entergy Mississippi provides electricity to more than 433,000 customers in 45 Mississippi counties.