New Caney - Porter Edition | February 2026

Entergy projects aim to strengthen reliability From the cover

The overview

Entergy Texas coverage area Entergy Texas’ coverage area spans 27 counties. Ocials said the electric grid is interconnected, meaning power production in one county aects the entire grid.

Millbend Substation distribution area Entergy Texas’ recently unveiled Millbend Substation will help distribute additional power to portions of Montgomery County, including New Caney and Porter.

Entergy Texas is increasing electric reliability in Montgomery County with the addition of several major projects in Southeast Texas, including a recently completed substation that will help distribute additional power across the New Caney and Porter areas. A subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, Entergy Texas generates, transmits and distributes electricity to more than 524,000 customers across 27 counties in Southeast Texas, said Brian Garcia, Entergy’s regional manager of customer service. Unlike retail electric providers such as Reliant Energy and TXU Energy, which oer a variety of plans and home services, Garcia said Entergy acts primarily as a regulated utility company responsible for delivering power, maintaining infrastructure and providing service in specic regulated areas. Garcia said the Millbend Substation—a roughly $63 million project consisting of several electrical towers and around 6 miles of transmission lines— began operating in January. He said the station was built to help support areas of Montgomery County experiencing growth. The total population of the New Caney-Porter area grew by just over 30% over ve years, rising from 64,476 residents in 2019 to 84,010 residents in

3 Orange County Advanced Power Station

1 Lone Star Power Station

2 Legend Power Station

1485

99 TOLL

494

1314

Porter

Montgomery County

Millbend Substation

Kingwood

Harris County

KINGWOOD DR.

SOURCE: ENTERGY TEXASCOMMUNITY IMPACT

power for that community.” In addition to the substation, Garcia said Entergy currently has three new power plants in the region that will further strengthen reliability and energy production throughout the state.

2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. “[The Millbend Substation] creates resiliency and a redundant power source for all those communities, because obviously, they already have power,” Garcia said. “What it’s doing is creating backup

A closer look

Why it matters

2024 average retail price of electricity (cents per kWh)

Sean Meredith, Entergy’s vice president of capital projects, said the new substation is part of Entergy’s Southeast Texas Energy Plan, also known as the STEP Ahead program, which focuses on investing in energy infrastructure ahead of growth to provide adequate energy coverage and keep prices aordable. Meredith said one aspect of the STEP Ahead program includes creating weather-resilient infrastructure, which he said was taken into account when constructing the Millbend Substation. “If a hurricane blows through, there may not be roofs on buildings, but those [towers] are going to be standing,” Meredith said. “These are built to withstand the strongest storms.” Garcia said the STEP Ahead program aims to keep electric rates aordable. As their service area continues to grow, Garcia said the increasing number of customers helps spread out and lower costs. Garcia also said the company is increasing its eorts to produce energy through the STEP Ahead program with the addition of the Lone

Stuart Barrett, Entergy’s vice president of customer service, said the new substa- tion includes modern equipment that can automatically shift power to other lines if there’s a problem, which he said would help shorten outage times. “By modernizing our infrastructure now, we’re helping businesses stay open, keep- ing families safe during storms and helping our communities recover more quickly when severe weather occurs,” Barrett said. Kelley Mattlage, chief operating ocer of the East Montgomery County Improve- ment District, stressed the importance of allowing businesses to operate in a space with reliable energy. “Electricity is one of the things that are essential to operations,” Mattlage said. “You can’t have a production line go oine when customers are depending on you.” Meredith said ocials will be able to add additional infrastructure to the substation as the area continues to grow.

U.S.

12.94¢

Texas

9.79¢

Entergy Texas

9.21¢

NOTE: DATA DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY SECURITIZED RIDERS, TAXES OR FEES. SOURCE: U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, ENTERGY TEXAS COMMUNITY IMPACT Star Power Station in Cleveland, the Legend Power Station in Port Arthur and the Orange County Advanced Power Station in Orange. “We’ve got to have that base load of sucient 24/7 dispatchable power,” Garcia said, adding that the additional energy production would help strengthen electrical reliability throughout the company’s coverage area.

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