Entergy joins MISO central U.S. power grid
Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. power company Entergy Corp on Thursday completed the integration of its Gulf Coast service area into the power grid that operates the Midwest power system.
Entergy said in a release the move into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) grid is projected to save consumers $1.4 billion in the first decade.
The move comes on the heels of a decision last week to call off Entergy's plan to spin off its transmission system in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and merge it with a unit of U.S. power transmission company ITC Holdings Corp . Entergy and ITC said they cancelled the plan due to state opposition.
Entergy said its transition into MISO took more than two years of planning and preparation.
MISO operates the power grid in 15 states in the central part of the United States from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and in the province of Manitoba in Canada.
With the integration, MISO will take over responsibility for planning and operating the transmission facilities that deliver electricity to customers.
In addition, MISO also operates a market that Entergy said is expected to lower the costs of producing and delivering electricity.
Entergy operates about 30,000 megawatts of generating capacity and delivers power to 2.8 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
