New Orleans, May 28, 2026, 13:01 CDT
Entergy New Orleans raised $90 million through a sale of long-term first mortgage bonds to institutional buyers, the utility said. The deal adds to its secured debt load right before the Atlantic hurricane season starts, with Entergy stepping up talk about storm preparation in the Gulf South.
Timing is important as utilities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are looking to raise cash for normal capital spending, storm-proofing their systems and meeting economic development pledges in storm-exposed areas. NOAA’s latest forecast points to a less-active Atlantic hurricane season but warns that even a quiet year can bring destructive storms. Landfalls are not predicted.
Entergy is also talking up jobs with its latest local move. Entergy Mississippi said the 2026 Excellerator Competitive Communities grants include the Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce. It’s one of nine groups splitting $82,500 from Entergy for projects aimed at drawing business investment. “The grants can help communities show they are a ‘business-friendly option,’” said Ed Gardner, Entergy Mississippi’s vice president of business and economic development. Entergy
Entergy New Orleans has issued $35 million in 5.91% first mortgage bonds maturing June 1, 2036, and $55 million of 6.65% first mortgage bonds maturing June 1, 2056, according to a May 27 filing. Interest on both is paid twice a year, June 1 and Dec. 1, with the first payment due Dec. 1, 2026.
First mortgage bonds are secured debt. If the borrower defaults, bondholders have a claim on utility property through the mortgage terms. The deal was a private placement, offered only to institutional buyers and not registered for public sale under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Entergy New Orleans can choose to redeem the bonds before they mature, but most of the time that would trigger a “make-whole” premium—extra money to offset interest investors would miss if paid off early. Starting March 1, 2036 for the 2036 bonds, and Dec. 1, 2055 for the 2056 bonds, the company can call those bonds at par plus accrued interest. SEC
Entergy New Orleans secured the financing after holding its yearly Metro Storm Drill, a daylong test for operations, customer service, engineering, incident response and leadership. The drill was set up to help teams “respond as one unit,” said Dan Calamari, vice president of reliability at Entergy New Orleans. Entergy
Utilities across the region are drilling for storms. CenterPoint Energy ran a full-scale emergency drill in Houston this month, testing its response to a simulated Category 3 hurricane. Mississippi Power said its crews do year-round storm training and have systems built for winds up to 150 mph. “Restore power safely and more quickly,” is the goal, CenterPoint COO Jesus Soto Jr. said. CenterPoint Energy, Inc.,
NOAA is calling for a 55% chance the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season will have below-normal activity. The season runs June 1 to Nov. 30. Forecasters see 8 to 14 named storms, with 3 to 6 of those reaching hurricane strength and 1 to 3 becoming major hurricanes. The agency said most storms are likely during the main period from August to October.
Entergy Mississippi said its Excellerator program has reached 10 years, distributing $752,500 in grants over that period. The funds have gone to strategic planning, site readiness and preparing marketing materials. Recipients can put the money toward matching state or federal site-development grants.
Entergy Mississippi provides electricity to roughly 459,000 customers across 45 counties. Parent Entergy Corp, with headquarters in New Orleans, serves over 3 million customers through its operating arms in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and has a staff of about 12,000.
One bad storm making landfall could matter more than a calm hurricane forecast. NOAA says there’s no way to predict when or how strong storms will hit weeks out. Entergy New Orleans’ bond filing left out how it might spend the money, so investors won’t know until later filings if the debt relates to refinancing, capital projects, or something else.
