The April 2008 issue of energybiz magazine features an article by Pam Radtke Russell on Entergy New Orleans, a New Orleans based utility, and their efforts to escape the perils of bankruptcy, rebuild their infrastructure, and return electricity to the 190,000 customers.

Due to massive flooding of the underground gas system and transmissions and substations being devastated by the hurricane’s force, Entergy New Orleans which is a subsidiary of Entergy Corp., faces $600 million in repairs. The company’s revenue in 2004 was just $313 million. The New Orleans City Council runs Entergy New Orleans. Clint Vince, AABE member and managing partner of Washington D.C. based Sullivan and Worcester advises the New Orleans City Council. The New Orleans City Council has recently approved Entergy New Orleans to sell excess power as well as approve an 8% price increase on gas and electric prices. Entergy will lower rates as more customers move back into the city. As of now, they have reorganized and have emerged from bankruptcy and are servicing 125,000 customers. “They handled themselves exceptionally well”, said David Owens, AABE member and Executive Vice President of the Edison Electric Institute. “They were facing significant challenges.”