Press Releases

New Orleans, LA  - Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans' new Power Complex represents the most significant modernization of the city's drainage power infrastructure in decades. Designed to improve reliability, resilience, and operational flexibility, the Power Complex provides a robust and redundant power system that strengthens our ability to operate the drainage system under a variety of conditions.

Recent public statements characterizing the Power Complex as unreliable are inaccurate and do not reflect the system's design or performance. The static frequency changers are a reliable component of our drainage infrastructure.

The Power Complex consists of Entergy's Sullivan substation, static frequency changers (SFCs), and Turbines 6 and 7. The SFCs convert the “new” power at 60Hz to the “old” power at 25 Hz. The static frequency changers are designed to operate on power from a substation purpose built by Entergy with Turbines 6 and 7 as an independent backup power source, allowing for continued operations should the primary power source become unavailable.

Following Tropical Storm Arthur, we identified that the protective settings on the static frequency changers (set to protect the equipment from damage),  were conservatively configured. After evaluating the system's performance, the settings were adjusted to better accommodate reasonable voltage fluctuations while maintaining equipment protection. The SWBNO team and the equipment supplier are working with the third-party consultant and Entergy to determine how best to adjust these settings to accommodate power supply and weather variability while protecting the equipment and the people of New Orleans.  

The recent storm provided valuable operational experience that is helping strengthen the system. As with any major infrastructure modernization, real-world operating conditions offer opportunities to refine equipment settings and operating procedures to further enhance long-term reliability and resilience.

Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans is actively working with the Mayor's Office, City Council, Entergy New Orleans, and an independent third-party engineering firm to review system performance and review operational improvements. 

The Power Complex was built to provide New Orleans with a more reliable, flexible, and resilient drainage power system. We remain committed to continuous improvement and to strengthening the performance of this critical infrastructure as it protects our city. We know the utility must work every day to have credibility with our customers. Although we learned a hard lesson with Arthur, we’ve taken prompt action to address the issues so that the circumstances will not be repeated.

Entergy New Orleans has also doubled down on their commitment to this project and improving the operations and performance of the substation and power complex systems for future severe weather events.

“Entergy New Orleans and the Sewerage and Water Board want to assure the public that the grid is secure, and the new facility is receiving reliable, quality power — as designed. This modern substation was necessary to address the aging infrastructure the SWBNO once relied upon to support our community" said Deanna Rodriguez, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans.

“We have jointly retained an independent firm to review the settings in place, historical power trends, and provide recommendations on appropriate adjustments.

“Entergy New Orleans and SWBNO are committed to working together, and to improving the quality of life for the community we all serve” said Rodriguez.