storm center > entergy's ceo: recent infrastructure investments are working well, more resilience is underway

entergy's ceo: recent infrastructure investments are working well, more resilience is underway

11/22/2021

leo denault, entergy chairman and ceo, recently sat down with grid talk podcast, a series of conversations with the leaders and innovators shaping the 21st century energy grid. denault discussed a number of current topics with podcast host marty rosenberg, including the severe wind damage to the electric grid caused by hurricane ida and how electric utilities and policymakers must be mindful of customers’ pocketbooks when accelerating upgrades to strengthen the electrical grid.

transformation for grid resilience has already been underway in the entergy region.

“the new infrastructure is proving to be robust against even the storms that we’re seeing today,” denault said. “we’ve spent nearly $10 billion over the last five years on new transmission and distribution infrastructure… our class 1 poles on the distribution side, they can withstand 150 mile-an-hour winds, and our new transmission structures are designed to withstand 150 mile-an-hour winds. in both hurricane laura and in hurricane ida those new technologies and those new structures withstand those storms quite well.” 

listen to the grid talk podcast here: