For the purpose of acquiring 1 GW of solar and wind energy, Entergy Arkansas, a utility in the US, has issued a request for proposals. Renewable energy would be purchased through one or more power purchase agreements that would be in operation between May 2025 and December 2026, as well as self-build alternatives and one or more build-own-transfer agreements. While wind resources could be located in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator or Southwest Power Pool footprints, solar projects must be within the Entergy Arkansas service territory.
Reportedly, the companies who are bidding must ensure that the proposals provide customers with capacity, fuel diversity, and other advantages, as well as a cost-effective energy supply. The RfP intends to alter the power mix readily accessible to clients. A total of 281 MW of solar energy, enough to power 45,000 households, is currently available to customers of Entergy Arkansas. The company’s largest solar farm, Searcy Solar Facility, which has a generation capacity of 100 MW and batteries that can store 30 MW, came online in late 2021, in addition to the Stuttgart and Chicot solar facilities.
The Energy Arkansas fleet’s diverse and carbon-free generation, which includes the Carpenter and Remmel dams hydroelectric facilities, three solar facilities, and Arkansas Nuclear One, would be complemented by additional wind and solar resources. Entergy intends to increase the amount of renewable resources it currently uses over the next three years. By 2031, the utility intends to increase its portfolio of renewable energy generation by up to 17 GW.
