Construction has begun on a 20 MW solar plant on approximately 90 acres of flood-protected property at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East.
The New Orleans Solar Station is being engineered and constructed by DEPCOM Power Inc. for Entergy New Orleans and will add another source of renewable energy for the utility’s customers.
Engineered to withstand 134 mph hurricane conditions, approximately 70,500 solar panels will be used in the construction of the site. The project is expected to be completed later this year.
“It’s important that we continue to invest in local infrastructure to improve reliability while creating local jobs as the region works to recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis,” says David Ellis, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans.
“The New Orleans Solar Station is an important part of Entergy New Orleans’ plan to add utility-scale solar to our existing renewable resource portfolio, which includes residential and commercial rooftop solar, utility-scale solar+storage and run-of-river hydro. This resource will provide a new, long-term, renewable source of energy for our customers,” he adds.
Constructing solar plants classifies DEPCOM employees and its subcontractors as essential critical infrastructure workers under the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency guidelines, ensuring project construction can continue so that energy is delivered to the nation’s citizens.
The safety of all contractors and employees is Entergy New Orleans’ and DEPCOM’s top priority, along with the shared commitment to delivering clean and efficient solar power to the local New Orleans community as promised.
The solar plant will generate approximately 200 jobs during construction, with a focus on hiring local craft and U.S. veterans, along with contracting local businesses for services such as sanitation, waste management, fuel and rental construction equipment.