Coal, natural gas, and nuclear dominate Arkansas’ electricity generation, with some hydro included in the mix. The path of renewables is not yet clear as there is currently no renewable portfolio standard for Arkansas. This article will look into the future of wind energy in Arkansas
Who provides electricity in Arkansas?
Arkansas’s four principal electricity providers are Entergy Corporation, Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, AEP SWEPCO, and OG&E. Meanwhile, 12 communities in the state also provide their electricity.
Is electricity cheap in Arkansas?
Retail electricity in Arkansas is relatively cheap, ranking 6th lowest cost in the USA in 2019 for all sectors.
For commercial electricity, the state ranks 7th cheapest in the USA in 2019 and 3rd among southern states after Oklahoma and Texas.
Where are the nuclear plants in Arkansas?
The only nuclear plant in Arkansas, Arkansas Nuclear One, is in Clark Township, Pope County. The power plant produced 13.5 terawatts of electricity in 2021.
Based out of Little Rock, Entergy Arkansas owns the 2-unit nuclear facility. Entergy Nuclear operates the power plant, and commissioned the first unit in in 1974, and the second unit in 1980.
What is the potential for wind power in Arkansas?
The wind resource map of NREL indicates 5.0 to 5.5 meters per second wind speeds at 80 meters above ground level.
At 50 meters, the wind resources fall significantly to wind power class 1.
What is the direction for renewable energy in Arkansas?
Entergy Arkansas, one of the leading electricity providers in the state, is increasing its renewable portfolio by 300 MW in 2026. The company issued an RFP in April 2021 for this purpose.
Likewise, the Murphy Oil Corporation also moved from its headquarters in Arkansas in 2020 to Houston, which might signify a shift towards renewables. Murphy Oil Corporation is a petroleum and natural gas company that used to be one of the largest companies based in Arkansas.
Entergy Arkansas is also moving to retire two coal power plants and a natural gas plant in 2030 after a federal judge approved a settlement agreement. The settlement indicates that Entergy will develop 400 MW of renewables by 2022 and another 400 MW by 2027. Atty made the petition. General Leslie Rutledge to intervene and protect the interest of ratepayers.
However, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Co. also cautioned about losing stability in the grid if coal and nuclear plants are prematurely retired in a congressional field hearing. According to EIA, Arkansas consumes 30% more energy than it produces because of its agriculture sector–soybeans, poultry, and rice.
What is the electricity generation mix in Arkansas?
Coal is Arkansas’s leading source of electricity at 35%, followed by natural gas at 32%. The state will have 1% of the natural gas production of the USA in 2021.
Taken together, the renewable energy sources of Arkansas account for only 9.83% of all electricity generation in the state.
Led by hydro, the rest trail or has no footprint in the state. Notably, no wind power is currently installed in Arkansas, while solar accounts for less than 1%.
Why did the LM Wind Power blade facility close?
The port of little rock changed after LM Wind Power announced that its manufacturing facility would close in 2020 due to the lack of demand for the type of wind turbine blades it manufactures.
The company, owned by GE Renewable Energy, is based in Little Rock Port, Arkansas.
GE renewable energy closed the LM Wind Power facility after more than a decade of production, where the little rock facility produced 44.1-meter wind turbine blades.
LM Wind Power is one of the many global sites of LM Wind Power, which produces 20% of commercial wind turbine blades installed globally.
The Little Rock plant was also closed due to GE’s move to streamline operations and focus on Grand Forks, North Dakota, which produced longer turbine blades. GE provided health coverage for employees until at least the end of 2020.
How many power plants does Arkansas have?
There are a total of 64 power plants in Arkansas.
Who controls the power grid in Arkansas?
Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is the Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) operating the wholesale market in Central US, including Arkansas. SPP is a nonprofit mandated by FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) to maintain grid reliability in its service areas. SPP operates SWEPCO and OG&E from their Little Rock headquarters.
Meanwhile, Entergy’s power grid operator is MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator).