The last time Arkansas Business checked in on Entergy Arkansas’ West Memphis Solar project, 13 months ago, the 180-megawatt project along Interstate 40 about 20 miles west of Memphis was stalled by tariff and supply chain issues.
That’s no longer the case. Entergy, developer NextEra Energy Resources of Juno Beach, Florida, and engineering, procurement and construction contractor Moss & Associates of Fort Lauderdale began work in April, and the project is scheduled for completion by December of next year, about a year later than originally planned.
Builders are putting in roads and culverts and disking and grading some areas of the 1,600-acre site on two plots north and south of the interstate, according to Heather Kendrick, an Entergy spokeswoman.
Moss is also the general contractor on Entergy’s Driver Solar project next door to Big River Steel in Mississippi County, north of Memphis. Lightsource BP is the developer on that project.
A 4-mile transmission line will connect the solar field to an existing Entergy Arkansas substation.
