Lindsay Mader, lindsay.mader@sierraclub.org
LOUISIANA - Today, Sierra Club released its sixth Dirty Truth Report. This year, Entergy Louisiana scored a 26 out of 100, receiving a D, and Cleco scored a 9 out of 100, receiving an F. The report grades utilities across the country based on how much coal they are retiring, how much gas they are planning, and how much renewable energy they are adding. Entergy New Orleans’ score is discussed in detail here.
Nationally, 76 utilities scored 7 out of 100 in aggregate. This is eight points lower than last year’s report and the lowest score in the report’s history.
STATEMENT FROM SIERRA CLUB
“This year’s Dirty Truth analysis makes clear why Louisianans are struggling so much to pay their increasing energy bills,” said Darryl Malek-Wiley, a Sierra Club Senior Field Representative in New Orleans. “Entergy Louisiana wants to profit on one of the biggest data center gas buildouts in the country, and Cleco has doubled its planned new gas and walked back on coal retirements. We know that renewables are cheaper and cleaner than gas and coal, and it’s unacceptable that both utilities did worse this year when customers need relief more than ever.”
SCORE DETAILS
According the Dirty Truth Report, Entergy Louisiana is planning on:
- Adding 7,914 MW of new gas.
- Retiring 100% of coal.
- Adding 3,710 MW of renewable energy
Entergy, which received a C last year, continues its downward trajectory due to over-relying on gas. While their amount of planned gas had nearly doubled from last year, their amount of clean energy remains the same, demonstrating the company’s failure to meet growing demand with new clean energy. In fact, the slight increase in proposed clean energy can be largely attributed to a settlement between Sierra Club and Entergy, requiring the company to build additional solar to power Meta’s Hyperion data center. Entergy is still pursuing a massive gas buildout for the Meta Hyperion data center in Richland Parish.
According the Dirty Truth Report, Cleco is planning on:
- Adding 832 MW of new gas.
- Only retiring 37% of coal.
- Only adding 240 MW of renewable energy
This is a significant step back for the utility, which last year received a B grade, after years of Ds. This is due to a confluence of factors, including Cleco doubling the amount of new gas planned by 2035 and cutting two-thirds of their clean energy planned by 2035.
Renewable energy remains the cheapest way to generate electricity, while coal and fossil fuels remain expensive and extremely harmful to public health. Despite this, the Dirty Truth Report shows that Cleco and Entergy Louisiana are doubling down on dangerous, expensive fossil fuels. This means higher bills for families, more dangerous pollution, and less reliable energy.
The full report is available on the Dirty Truth website or here.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.