Entergy New Orleans broke ground Tuesday on a $4 million project to strengthen the electrical grid by upgrading 94 poles over about 1.6 miles of its distribution network in the Leonidas and Holly Grove neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy Secretary Dustin Davidson and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy Katie Jereza joined Entergy New Orleans CEO Deanna Rodriguez at a news conference to mark the beginning of the project, which is projected to save about $7.4 million in outage-related costs over the next 50 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery pole that we harden helps us sustain the winds that are higher and faster these days, and it will help us with the storms that come our way and certainly impact our customers so that their power doesn\u2019t go out," Rodriguez said. "If it goes out, we\u2019re able to restore more quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Entergy workers go up in buckets by a pole that will be replaced, during a press conference about a new grid-hardening project, at Harrell Park in New Orleans, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n More than half of the cost of the project, which also includes tree-trimming around wires, is covered by an Energy Department grant. It's one of 13 across the state to have been selected by Department of Conservation and Energy to receive federal Grid Resilience State And Tribal Formula Grants. <\/p>\n \u201cThat federal support is helping Entergy New Orleans build on grid modernization initiatives undertaken over the past several years, allowing communities to realize the anticipated benefits of a stronger system sooner,\u201d Jereza said. \u201cThese are practical investments designed to make a tangible difference for the people and businesses that depend on the grid every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Jereza, who runs DoE's Office of Electricity, highlighted the nearby Sewerage & Water Board facility as one of the 1,900 residential, commercial and industrial customers poised to benefit from the upgrade. <\/p>\n Deanna Rodriguez, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, and Katie Jereza, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity, talk after a press conference about a new grid-hardening project, at Harrell Park in New Orleans, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n "That means these improvements not only support homes and businesses, but also infrastructure that provides essential services to this community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The $300 million S&WB power complex has recently been in the City Council's crosshairs after it failed during Tropical Storm Arthur<\/a>.<\/p>\n