Entergy Louisiana has been given green light by the Louisiana Public Service Commission for the construction of a new natural gas-fired, combined-cycle power plant in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.

The plant, to be located in Montz at about 48km from New Orleans, will have an installed capacity of 980MW.

Construction of the facility, including transmission and other project-related costs, is anticipated to cost about $869M.

When completed, the plant is expected to become one of the cleanest fossil fuel-fired units in Entergy Louisiana's generation fleet.

Entergy Louisiana’s president and CEO Phillip May said: "Entergy Louisiana's investment in the St. Charles Power Station will power the lives of Louisiana residents for generations to come.

"We appreciate the Louisiana Public Service Commission's comprehensive review and decision on our proposal to build this much-needed plant.”

The plant's construction phase will create about 2,000 direct and indirect jobs annually across the state. The plant is scheduled to commence operations by June 2019.

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