Entergy Texas restoring most area outages by end of week

Entergy Texas crews continue to make progress to restore outages following the impacts of Hurricane Laura’s destructive storm surge, wind and flooding. More than 7,000 people have been mobilized across Southeast Texas to complete Entergy Texas’ restoration efforts.  At its peak, Entergy Texas experienced 291,000 outages, with the hardest hit areas in Jefferson, Orange and Hardin counties.

Hurricane Laura also significantly damaged transmission lines connecting Texas to the broader electric grid resulting in an order by MISO, our reliability coordinator, to begin rotating outages for customers. Last night, crews made significant repairs to transmission lines across the Entergy Texas region that will improve the stability of the transmission system. Additionally, Entergy Texas was able to start up units at a power plant along the Texas/Louisiana state line. While this power plant was in the direct path of Hurricane Laura, it suffered minimal damage and crews were able to complete the start up this morning. This adds generation to the Texas area that allows us to serve additional load.

Currently, we do not anticipate rotating outages to be required. Our restoration efforts will continue to improve our system reliability.

“Yesterday was a tough day for our customers,” Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, said Aug. 28. “I want to thank our customers and apologize for any additional disruption these outages have caused. While we were spared the worst of Laura, the damage it did cause forced us to take these rolling outages as a last resort to stabilize the broader grid. We are working to restore customers affected by Laura as quickly as is safely possible.”

While the company continue to assess damage in the hardest hit areas, Entergy Texas has determined expected restoration efforts for areas affected by Hurricane Laura for all customers who can take power. These times may change if crews find additional damage.

Silsbee and Beaumont were reportedly restored by the end of Sunday, Aug. 30.

The majority of Port Arthur, with the exception of part of Groves, was also restored by the end of Sunday, Aug. 30. The remaining customers in Groves should be restored by Monday, Aug. 31.

The Orange area suffered the most extensive damage and Entergy continues to assess the area. The company stated the majority of customers in Orange should be restored by Friday, Sept. 4. According to the Entergy Texas outage map available online, outages in Vidor and the outlying areas of Orange County are also expected to be restored by Sept. 4. Some areas may experience longer outages due to extensive transmission line damage, according to Entergy, which said it would provide additional details as it fully assesses the area.

Crews continue to work across the area to assess damage and complete restorations. In addition to the 7,000 workers, Entergy has six staging sites in Orange, Port Arthur and Beaumont areas to base its operations.

Additionally, customers are urged to remain cautious, as scammers are working to take advantage of customers affected by Laura, threatening disconnection of service and asking for immediate payment over the phone. Entergy will never ask for personal information over the phone or demand payment using money orders or gift cards. You can visit entergy.com/scams to learn how to protect yourself.