Energy summit held in New Orleans to discuss strengthening the grid

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — In the face of increasingly severe storms and climate driven disasters, Louisiana energy leaders, regulators and lawmakers met in New Orleans for a summit focused on one mission: making the state’s power grid stronger, smarter and more resilient.

Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta discussed a $2 billion investment aimed at hardening the electrical grid, a joint effort between the state and utility provider Entergy. The initiative seeks not just to withstand major weather events, but also to recover from them quickly.

“Louisiana undertook a pathway to grid resilience and agreed to work with Entergy on a $2 billion investment in grid resilience for not only distribution mechanisms, but also for the transmission grid,” said Skrmetta. “Recognizing that, the important thing is the ability to bounce back after critical weather events.”

A key part of the grid resilience effort involves replacing aging, vulnerable infrastructure- starting with something as basic, but critical, as power poles.

Entergy CEO Drew Marsh emphasized that this isn’t just about resilience, it’s also about ensuring energy remains affordable and sustainable for customers across Louisiana.

“The customers come first,” Marsh said. “And so, thinking about what it means for our customers from a reliability standpoint that we’re just talking about, but also the sustainability and the cost effectiveness, the affordability elements of it, those are all going to be top of mind.”

Marsh noted that Louisiana’s abundant energy infrastructure supports low electricity prices, helping the state remain competitive in the global economy.

“We have abundant infrastructure and that… all of that leads to low energy prices and that means that we can compete very effectively in the global economy,” Marsh said.

The summit also spotlighted the broader energy strategy needed for long term resilience. Congressman Troy Carter called for a comprehensive approach, including reinforced levees and solar-powered cooling centers in vulnerable neighborhoods.

“We still have work to do,” Carter said. “But we have come a long way.”

With storms growing stronger and more frequent, state leaders say the time to act is now. The vision includes not just restoring power faster but also using smart grid technologies and clean energy solutions to protect communities, create jobs and keep the lights on.

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