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Entergy says LED pole replacements nearly complete in Lafourche; 2026 work and customer fee explained
Summary
Entergy told the Lafourche Parish Council it has replaced 838 poles in the parish and plans roughly 908 more in 2026 as part of a resiliency conversion to LED fixtures; company and parish officials said the work is funded through a state-approved program that will be recovered from customers over time.
Paula Rome, an Entergy representative, told the Lafourche Parish Council on Nov. 25 that the utility’s pole change-out and LED conversion program has replaced 838 poles in the parish and has plans for roughly 1,000 additional poles in 2026.
"As of right now as we speak 98% is complete and we will have the additional lights complete by the end of the week," Rome said, describing recent repairs to nearly 1,400 reported outages and the replacement work on main drags and some neighborhoods.
Rome said the work is part of a resiliency program approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) and funded through a statewide recovery mechanism similar to a prior hurricane fee. Anna Gayle Orianna, who identified herself in the record as an Entergy representative, said the LPSC-approved program totals about $1,900,000,000 for statewide replacements; Entergy representatives said per-customer charges will be small but did not provide a per-bill figure at the meeting.
Parish officials pressed Entergy on the timing and coverage of later phases. Rome said the current phase prioritized poles that had been damaged or prone to repeated outages and that phase 2 — which would address neighborhood laterals — is likely to be proposed to the LPSC in roughly a year. She also explained that when Entergy replaces a pole it may leave a stub in place until communications providers (AT&T, etc.) move their lines, after which Entergy will remove the stub pole.
Council members and residents asked how private-area lights would be handled. Rome said Entergy would review customer accounts for those fixtures and address reconnection or billing on a case-by-case basis.
President Ozeron and council members thanked Entergy for the work and for coordinating traffic control with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. Officials said they will collect constituent feedback on light color (some residents prefer an amber hue previously supplied by HPS fixtures) and on locations the parish feels need earlier attention.
The council did not take formal action on the Entergy presentation; staff and Entergy agreed to share further details on per-customer impacts and on the planned phase-2 schedule.
