Helena Moreno

Power update: Let me start by saying that I am really elated that power is coming back to New Orleans! That has been my number one focus and the Entergy crews are working super hard! Moving past this storm and restoration though, there will be some questions that must be answered. Including why the New Orleans Power Station (NOPS) was not able to start on its own?  It’s now on because it’s in the path of the Slidell transmission lines. Entergy execs told the Council all week that NOPS just could not start unless it was hooked up to some other load. That’s contrary to all the testimony the previous Council received when it approved the plant in 2018. I went and grabbed the docket to re-review. This is a direct quote from the ENO testimony “In addition, the unit will also include black-start capability, which will enable the Company to start the unit even when there is no power on the electric grid. This will give the Company the ability to restore electric service, should a complete loss of service occur. This could be a tremendous benefit if New Orleans is electrically “islanded” from the rest of the interconnected transmission grid, as it was after Hurricane Gustav.” Below are additional excerpts from the docket and testimony. So as I mentioned, super happy we’ve got some power back. But soon we’ll need to deep dive into this because it’s Orleans Parish rate payers who paid to build NOPS, expected the benefit promised and deserve answers.