We Aspire
Meeting the Challenge
Be the Cleanest Power Generator in America
We aspire to be the cleanest power generator in America – one that voluntarily adheres to greenhouse gas emission levels and conserves natural resources in as many ways as possible. Entergy is the second-cleanest utility generator among the top 10 U.S. generators, due largely to our portfolio of clean nuclear and natural gas generation resources. In 2001, we became the first U.S. utility to voluntarily commit to stabilize our greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2008, for the seventh year in a row, Entergy was named to the exclusive Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which recognizes the top 10 percent of the biggest 2,500 companies worldwide based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria. This year marks the third consecutive year we were the only U.S. utility listed on the World Index. Entergy was also named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for the fourth consecutive year, every year since its inception.
We execute against a comprehensive set of environmental initiatives every year to ensure we are responsible stewards of the natural resources that are impacted by our business. For 2008, key highlights of our environmental performance include:
Our comprehensive environmental strategy includes initiatives to stabilize CO2 emissions, restore coastal wetlands, promote energy efficiency, improve communities from an environmental perspective and encourage recycling. Further details on these initiatives as well as our efforts to build a clean generation portfolio can be found in this section of our sustainability report.
Entergy is the second-largest nuclear generation operator in the United States. We operate 11 units – both utility and non-utility – located in the Northeast, Midwest and South. We also manage the operations of the Cooper Nuclear Station in Nebraska under a service agreement.
Our team of managers, operators and engineers is focused first on the safety and security of our nuclear units and only after that is assured, on productivity improvements. Their dedication to operational excellence in 2008 resulted in the highest level of generating output from our non-utility nuclear fleet since Entergy took ownership of these assets.
In 2008, Entergy Arkansas, Inc. completed its acquisition of the Ouachita Power Facility and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. completed its acquisition of the Calcasieu Generating Facility. Both are modern, efficient and flexible natural gas-fired generation resources located in Louisiana. They are just the latest example of our efforts to transform our utility generation portfolio by investing in clean and efficient technologies that can deliver reliable, affordable power to our customers.
In 2001, we made our first voluntary commitment to stabilize our CO2 emissions at year 2000 levels. We successfully completed that commitment in 2005 with emission levels that were 23 percent better than our target. Subsequently we made our second voluntary five-year commitment – this time to stabilize our CO2 emissions from 2006 through 2010 to 20 percent below year 2000 levels. From 2006 to 2008, we have performed better than our cumulative stabilization commitment. Since we made our first stabilization commitment in 2001, we have emitted 324.7 million tons of CO2, which is nearly 18 percent below our cumulative stabilization goal for the eight-year period.
We achieved this performance by taking a comprehensive approach to emissions stabilization. We pursue a variety of internal and external projects, including equipment upgrades, sustainable forestry initiatives and innovative emission reduction trades.
Entergy joined with 15 other companies in 2008 as a founding member of the American Carbon Registry, one of the largest online registries for voluntary and pre-compliance carbon markets in the United States. The registry will serve to provide transparency over ownership claims concerning emission reductions, support market transactions of verified emission reductions, record validated greenhouse gas emissions profiles and document the environmental integrity of registered greenhouse gas emissions.
We believe our eight-year track record of leading by example and stabilizing emissions makes Entergy a credible advocate for action on the climate change issue. In last year’s sustainability report, we presented guidelines we believe should shape U.S. carbon policy. Those guidelines are:
Throughout 2008, Entergy leaders met with leaders in industry, government and non-governmental organizations to present and explain our guidelines, and help shape the debate on carbon policy. In particular, we have attempted to highlight the importance of finding a technology fix for conventional coal plants, the single largest source of CO2 emissions worldwide. We believe that finding an affordable post-combustion, carbon-capture solution for conventional coal plants should be a central goal of U.S. research and development and policy-making action.
Our environmental strategies and efforts to address climate change have earned recognition from a number of distinguished environmental organizations. In addition to being named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, we were also named to the prestigious Climate Disclosure Leadership Index in 2008, the fifth consecutive year we have received this recognition, and the SAM Sustainability Yearbook, which recognizes the top 15 percent of companies in each sector worldwide.
Promoting and facilitating efficient use of energy among our customers is essential to our sustainable development efforts. Energy efficiency initiatives can reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the generation of wasted energy and lower energy bills for customers, which is especially important for our low-income customers.
Recognizing the powerful benefits associated with energy efficiency, Entergy created an Energy Efficiency Task Force to identify initiatives that can reduce systemwide energy demand by a goal of 300 megawatts. To date, 22 initiatives have been identified and are under development.
In addition, our utilities continue their efforts to drive more efficient use of energy among customers.
We also secured 13,500 pledges from Entergy employees and customers during our 2008 Change-a-Light campaign to replace at least one incandescent bulb for an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb. Since most participants pledged to replace multiple bulbs, the campaign is expected to result in approximately 35,000 bulbs being replaced. In addition, through the Change-a-Light campaign Entergy helped purchase 10,000 compact fluorescent bulbs, which are expected to reduce 1,200 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Our service territories, including our corporate headquarters and the homes of many of our customers and employees, lie along the U.S. Gulf Coast – an area susceptible to powerful hurricanes, massive flooding and the ongoing loss of wetlands. At Entergy, we recognize the urgency and importance of restoring coastal wetlands, which act as a natural buffer against a hurricane storm surge.
We are working with and have provided funding to Restore America’s Estuaries, a national alliance of community-based conservation organizations from the East, West and Gulf coasts. Its mission is to preserve the nation’s network of estuaries by protecting and restoring the lands and water essential to the richness and diversity of coastal life.
Recycling and pollution prevention are key elements of our comprehensive environmental strategy. We strive to reduce the impact that our operations – from our power generation plants to our corporate offices – have on the environment. In 2008, we took the following steps to recycle and reduce pollution:
The organizations that received Environmental Stewardship Grants in 2008 were:
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