ORANGE COUNTY, Texas — Entergy has issued a traffic warning out to some Orange County residents as construction on their advanced power station is set to begin soon.
The Orange County Advanced Power Station being built near the existing Sabine Plant is part of Entergy's plan to meet the growing demand across Southeast Texas, modernize generation fleet and continue providing clean, affordable and reliable energy to customers, according to a release from Entergy.
In a letter sent to residents near the construction site, Entergy says the initial phase of the construction project will be site preparation, which will begin within the next two weeks and continue until the end of July.
Entergy says this phase will result in increased truck traffic, mainly on weekdays and possibly Saturdays.
Due to the increase in traffic, residents may need to adjust their daily commute times and routes, according to Entergy.
Traffic will be monitored and a deputy will be assigned to assist with traffic control as necessary.
Entergy broke ground on its new Orange County Advance Power Station in Bridge City on April 24, 2023. In attendance to help celebrate the major milestone were area leaders, Entergy board members and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Related: Entergy Texas gets approval to build Orange County plant capable of powering more than 230K homes
"An energy company like this comes in and provides more power to the region," Gov. Abbott said. "That has a knock-on economic benefit."
The power company believes the new power station will support the rapid growth happening in Southeast Texas. Hundreds gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking and to highlight the impact the investment is expected to have on the area.
"It's jobs. It's economic development," Orange County Judge John Gothia said. "It's all the things you try to do in a community to help the community grow."
Those in attendance said they believe Entergy made a great investment into the community and raved about the number of homes the facility could power.
“This facility is going to provide more than 1,200 megawatts of power,” Gov. Abbott said. “That's enough power to power more than 230,000 more homes in this area."
Entergy officials said the project aims to provide clean energy and is set to bring in more than $1 billion to the area's economy. Construction of the facility will bring more than 7,000 temporary jobs and about 27 permanent jobs once it is operational.
"We expect construction to provide $1.8 billion in economic development to the area and create over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs," Entergy Texas CEO and President Eli Viamontes said.
Many officials are excited to see all the benefits the Orange County Advance Power Station will bring to the area.
"For Entergy to commit the amount of money they are to build this facility," Judge Gothia said. "Just shows their belief in our growth that we are going to have here as well."
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