Entergy Arkansas has begun commercial operations at the 100-MW Walnut Bend Solar Energy Center in Lee County, Arkansas.
The company acquired the center from Invenergy, a privately held developer, owner, and operator of sustainable energy solutions, which led the development, engineering, and construction of the facility.
The Walnut Bend facility will generate an estimated $700,000 in annual property taxes for Lee County and enough electricity to power 61,000 Arkansas homes. It uses technologies such as bifacial solar panels and racking equipment that tracks the sun.
While the facility is the fourth solar resource of Entergy Arkansas placed into service, the others include 81 MW Stuttgart Solar, the 100 MW Chico Solar at Lake Village and the 100 MW Searcy Solar. The four facilities combined will generate 381 MW of power for Entergy Arkansas customers.
The total investment is more than $300 million, with net customer benefits exceeding $170 million over the life of the facilities.
Entergy Arkansas will bring 430 additional MW of solar power facilities online by the end of 2024. These include West Memphis (180 MW) and Driver (250 MW), which it will own and operate.
Moreover, two additional solar facilities are planned to be introduced in 2025. Flat Fork (200 MW) and Forgeview (200 MW) will provide energy and capacity to Entergy Arkansas through long-term power purchase agreements.
