< PreviousC L E A N EN E R G Y48 MI S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G UI D Euilding the utility of the future means embracing new technologies,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO, in November 2018.While helping customers achieve sustainability goals, power generation, distribution and retail provider Entergy also has been holding its own: In 2017 it was one of only five U.S. electric utilities to be named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index, an honor it has achieved for 16 years in a row.Though renewables have been slow to build momentum in the state, Entergy Mississippi does its part — and soon that part will be growing substantially. Fisackerly was announcing that the utility will purchase for $138.4 million a 1,000-acre, 100-megawatt solar farm — the largest in the state — once construction by Canadian Solar subsidiary Recurrent Energy is complete in 2022. Entergy Mississippi began studying solar as a renewable energy source in 2016 when the company built three solar pilot project sites in Brookhaven, Hinds and DeSoto counties. “The solar pilot projects helped answer many questions about solar in Mississippi and were the genesis for this larger project,” said Fisackerly.The pilot was the first-ever utility-owned solar project in the state. But others have also grown megawatts in the land of cotton: Mississippi Power and Silicon Ranch are partners in a 50 MW solar installation in Hattiesburg featuring about 200,000polycrystalline solar panels. And Origis Energy (the builder and operator) and Cooperative Energy (the power purchaser) B“by A DA M B R U N Sby A DA M B R U N SM I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E 49continue to expand the massive solar field near Sumrall in Lamar County, where the most recent installment — MS Solar 3— started up in December 2017with 206,000 polycrystalline solar panels supplying power for up to 11,400 homes.“We firmly believe you will see more electrical utility companies seek to expand their portfolio by adding solar and partnering in projects such as this one,” said Guy Vanderhaegen, Origis Energy’s CEO and president. “This area geographically benefits from an abundance of sunlight, and we know it will be successful in reaching its generation goals.”OPPORTUNITY TARGETSAsked to rank clean energy categories in terms of both cleanness and economic promise in the state, Sumesh Arora, director of the Energy & Natural Resources Division of the Mississippi Development Authority since November 2016, puts solar at the top of the list.“Utilities in Mississippi are beginning to invest in this technology on a large scale,” he says. “By 2022, we will have more than 300 megawatts of solar power generation in the state, which is enough to power nearly a quarter-million average-sized homes. The cost of photovoltaic technologies has come down drastically over the last decade, and it is becoming very competitive with traditional forms of electricity generation.”One piece of new legislation is helping solar as well as other sectors: The fee-in-lieu legislation threshold was lowered to $60 million from $100 million in the 2018legislative session, which makes it easier for relatively smaller projects to take advantage of the tax structure. “This legislation has been used by solar farms to help offset some of their tax liability while still providing revenues for the school districts or other municipalities,” Arora explains. “This is a win-win-win scenario that is financially attractive for the project developers, the public entities gain new revenue and the citizens of the entire state benefit from bringing renewable energy into the generation mix at a lower cost.”The next-cleanest sector? Wind, followed by nuclear: The 1,443-MW Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Station in Post Gibson is the largest single-unit nuclear power reactor in the nation and the fifth-largest in the world. M I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E M I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E 4949“By 2022, we will have more than 300 megawattsof solar power generation in the state, which is enough to power nearly a quarter-million average-sized homes.”— Sumesh Arora, DIRECTOR OF THE ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES 50 MI S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G UI D EAIRBORNE OR NOT, MAGNOLIA STATE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY OUTPUT IS WORLD CLASS.By M AR K AR E N DA ER O S P A C ENASA engineers closed a summer of successful hot fire testing Aug. 30 for flight controllers on RS-25 engines that will help power the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket being built to carry astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars.COURTESY NASAot all Mississippi aerospace companies’ products fly. Some are land-based, like the high-tech radar systems made by Raytheon in Forest, in Scott County east of Jackson. The defense contractor is expanding its facility there with a $100-million corporate investment that will result in a new, 50,000-square-foot facility. It will serve as a hub for test, integration and production of s-band radars, which includes the U.S. Navy’s next-generation SPY-6, Air and Missile Defense Radar program. The facility will become the newest addition to Raytheon’s Consolidated Manufacturing Center campus in Forest. Construction of the new facility began in August, with its completion expected by the first quarter of 2020. “Construction of a new radar production facility is the next step in our decades-long partnership with the state of Mississippi and its highly skilled workforce,” said Wes Kramer, president of Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business, at the project announcement in May. “Together we will integrate, test and deliver the most technologically advanced military radar systems to our U.S. and international customers.”The Mississippi Development Authority provided assistance for site preparation and infrastructure improvements. Mississippi Works funds are also being made available to assist with workforce training. Scott County is providing assistance in the form of a fee-in-lieu of taxes agreement.Mississippi offers aerospace-specific incentives. These include the Aerospace Initiative Incentive Program that provides aerospace companies a 10-year state income tax exemption, a 10-year franchise tax exemption and an exemption from sales and use tax for facility startup; the Advantage Jobs Program — a rebate of a percentage of Mississippi payroll to qualified aerospace manufacturers for up to 10 years; and certain property tax exemptions.A CLUSTER FROM TOP TO BOTTOMRaytheon wouldn’t be the first aerospace company to take advantage of Mississippi’s low business costs, industry-specific incentives and proximity to global markets via several commercial airports and deep-water ports on the Gulf of Mexico. Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, Eaton, SpaceX, Airbus Helicopters and Aerojet Rocketdyne are among the state’s growing cluster of aerospace companies. Some cluster in the southern part of the state, near NASA’s Stennis Space Center, home of the largest rocket NResearched, Designed & Made in MississippiM I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E 51engine test complex in the U.S., in Hancock County. Some are in central Mississippi, including Aurora Flight Sciences in Columbus (also home to Airbus Helicopters), Boeing in Flowood and L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace in Madison. And some cluster in the northern part of the state, near Mississippi State University (MSU) in Starkville, which is home to the FAA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Center of Excellence. In May 2015, the FAA selected Mississippi State as the location of the Center of Excellence for UAS. The Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence, or ASSURE, leads the center. The ASSURE team is comprised of top UAS universities from three countries and more than 100government and industry partners.A recent addition to Starkville and its UAS community is Insitu, which located in MSU’s Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in late 2017. The company’s partnership with ASSURE has created 25 jobs. Insitu creates and supports unmanned systems and software technology that deliver end-to-end solutions for collecting, processing and delivering information. At MSU, it supports a combination of engineering, software development and business development/customer service support functions.“We are fortunate to be able to collaborate with Mississippi State University, the Mississippi Development Authority, and many others to establish our facility here, while acting as a representative with ASSURE, to help shape the future of unmanned aircraft regulation,” according to Insitu President and CEO Ryan Hartman. “Leveraging our collective experiences as research institutions and industry leaders is vital to the successful and safe integration of UAS into the national airspace.”The state’s aerospace industry doesn’t have to look far for its labor supply. There’s a critical mass already in place. In addition to MSU (also home of the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory), Mississippi is home to seven other public universities, including the University of Southern Mississippi — a leading polymer research center, four research universities and 15 community colleges. That’s where the state’s rocket scientists and other aerospace concerns find the aerospace engineers, jet engine mechanics and other specialized talent they require. J-2X Engine No. 10002 completed a successful test on June 14 at the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center courtesy NASA.C O U R T E SY N A S A52 MI S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G UI D En a sunlit autumn day in 2018, Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Mississippi, christened the guided-missile destroyer Frank E. Petersen, Jr., an Arleigh-Burke class warship named for a military legend. Enlisting in the Marines in 1950, Petersen, an 18-year old African-American, was told by a recruiter that he’d make a “great steward.” Instead, in a career that spanned two wars and 38 years, Petersen would fly over 350 combat missions while becoming the first African American to command a fighter squadron, a fighter air group, an air wing and a major base. In 1979, he became the first black general in the history of the Marines.Cracking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow of the ship named for her late husband, Petersen’s widow, Dr. Alicia J. Petersen, paid tribute to the Mississippians who built it.LED BY HUNTINGTON INGALLS, IT’S FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR MISSISSIPPI SHIPBUILDERS.by G A RY DA U G H T E R SOCause for CelebrationS H I P B U IL D IN GDr. Alicia J. Petersen helps christen the warship named for her legendary husband.SOURCE: HUNTINGTON INGALLS SHIPBUILDING54 MI S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G UI D E“We believe,” said Dr. Petersen, “that you are our family now and feel so happy that Frank’s ship is here in your home being built under the wonderful leadership of Ingalls. Ingalls not only does great work, but they take great pride in its ownership.”Alfred Gray, a retired general and former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, added, “We’re here to honor a great American, a great ship and a great shipyard, as well.”Ingalls Shipbuilding is located on 800 acres of land along the Pascagoula River. With 11,500workers, Ingalls is the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi and a major contributor to the economic growth of both Mississippi and Alabama. It is the largest supplier of U.S. Navy surface combatants and has built nearly 70-percent of the U.S. Navy fleet of warships. With the addition of the Petersen, the company has delivered 33 Arleigh-Burke class destroyers, which are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. “All Ingalls ships are built for men and women like General Petersen with one goal in mind: to protect brave Americans who defend our freedom,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “Today,” said Cuccias, “alongside our Navy partners and the great State of Mississippi, we are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in modernizing our facilities. Combine that with a hot production line and our talented and experienced shipbuilders, and we uniquely positioned to provide our country with the highest quality, most capable destroyers in the world. Simply stated, Ingalls builds the finest warships the world has ever known — right here in Pascagoula, Mississippi.”IMAGE COURTESY VISIT MISSISSIPPIIn 2018, Ingalls embarked on a two-year effort to reactivate its shipbuilding facilities on the east bank of the Pascagoula River. The site of the original Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., founded in 1938, the east bank facility was decimated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, leading to the relocation of all work to Ingalls’ larger shipyard on the river’s west bank. Ingalls is investing about $100 million in the project.“The reactivation,” the company says in a statement, “will restore the facility’s ability to support Ingalls’ current ship construction as well as help the company better prepare for future work, including the next-generation amphibious assault ships and surface combatants.”Ingalls is building large, covered areas on the east bank for construction of ship components and restoring a pier where employees, which it calls “industrial athletes,” can perform assembly work. The company says the project is part of its continuing modernization effort.“We are excited to be bringing the east bank back to life,” said Cuccias. “As we prepare to celebrate our 80th anniversary, what better way to do that than to announce that the original Ingalls facility will become a productive, vibrant part of the Pascagoula landscape once again.”At the same time, Ingalls has embarked on a $700-million overhaul of its west bank yard, which it leases from the state. The “Shipyard of the Future” initiative includes significant investments in modern infrastructure and manufacturing equipment, as well as technologically advanced processes designed to raise the level of automation and enhance production quality. The state has pledged $200 million toward the project.Ingalls is but one of more than 33 shipbuilding companies located in Mississippi. Others include Trinity Yachts, Gulf Coast Shipyard Group, Gulfship, Northrop Grumman, Signet Marine and United States Marine. VT Halter, also in Pascagoula, is the largest designer and builder of medium-sized vessels in the world. More than 23,000employees work in the state’s shipbuilding industry. Mississippi offers shipbuilders access to more than 15ports along the Gulf Coast, Mississippi River and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The Ports of Pascagoula and Gulfport are ranked among the top 20 ports in the U.S. for cargo volume.“Ingalls builds the finest warships the world has ever known — right here in Pascagoula, Mississippi.”Brian Cuccias, PRESIDENT, INGALLS SHIPBUILDING56 MI S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G UI D ENISSAN AND TOYOTA ARE EXPANDING THEIR MISSISSIPPI FACILITIES, AND THEIR SUPPLIERS ARE FOLLOWING SUIT.A U TO M OTIV EBy M AR K AR E N Dwo OEMs, numerous suppliers and a research center dedicated to advanced vehicular systems puts Mississippi in a very competitive light relative to other Southern locations. Add low business costs, high-end logistics infrastructure and an abundance of labor and the automotive industry is in Mississippi to stay.Nissan’s Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant added the Altima to its list of models produced at the 4.7-million-square-foot facility in 2018. Built in 2003, the plant’s 6,500-plus workers have produced more than 4 million vehicles to date, including the Frontier and Titan truck models. It’s investing $170 million to upgrade the Canton plant, as well as one in Smyrna, Tennessee, where the Altima also is produced.Mississippi’s other automotive OEM, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi, also announced a $170 million capital investment in the state — a new visitor and training center at its plant in Blue Springs and implementation of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) manufacturing platform for production of the 12th generation Corolla sedan. This investment directly supports Toyota’s plan to invest $10 billion in its U.S. facilities over the next five years. This investment brings the company to $4.27 billion of new investment in the U.S. since the commitment was announced in 2017. Toyota’s total Tby M AR K AR E N DNISSAN AND TOYOTA ARE EXPANDING THEIR MISSISSIPPI FACILITIES, AND THEIR NISSAN AND TOYOTA ARE EXPANDING THEIR MISSISSIPPI FACILITIES, AND THEIR costs, high-end logistics infrastructure and an abundance of labor and the automotive industry is in Mississippi to stay.Nissan’s Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant added the Altima to its list of models produced at the -million-square-foot facility in Tinvestment in the U.S. over the past 60 years is $25 billion.What’s the significance of TNGA being installed at Blue Springs?“We will be able to respond quicker and be more flexible in order to meet market demands down the road,” said Toyota Mississippi President Sean Suggs. “I’m very proud of our team members and the partnerships we have developed across the state.”TNGA is a new approach to the way Toyota designs, engineers and produces its vehicles. While retaining traditional Toyota values, such as exceptional quality and safety, TNGA improves performance of all models, including providing more responsive handling and a more comfortable, enjoyable feel while driving. It also shortens the development cycle for vehicle improvements and new vehicles by providing a more flexible production environment.HIGH-END HIGHER ED RESOURCESStatewide, the Magnolia State’s automotive industry is comprised of more than 200companies employing more than 20,000 workers. Home to four public research universities and 15community colleges, Mississippi delivers both advanced degrees in business and industry and tailored curricula and workforce training at locations throughout the state. The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence opened at the University of Mississippi in Jackson in 2008. It works with business partners to produce interdisciplinary education programs, co-ops and internships that will result in new generations of business leaders in the manufacturing field for the foreseeable future.Mississippi’s other manufacturing resource, and the one specific to automotive research and development, is the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) at Mississippi State University. It helps businesses improve engineering, manufacturing and design technologies at a facility in Starkville and at an extension center in Canton, near the Nissan plant. The CAVS locations provide both research and development capabilities, as well as continued education and training for new and current industry employees.SUPPLY SIDEOn the supplier side, Germany-based automotive supplier hago Automotive is doubling its footprint in Iuka to accommodate a new contract with BMW. The project represents a $4-million corporate investment in new equipment and will create 60 jobs over the next four years. It involves the construction of an additional 50,000 square feet at hago’s existing 50,000-square-foot facility. In 2016, hago started operations in the former Dennen Steel facility at Yellow Creek Port, investing $10 million and creating 80 jobs.“This new addition will allow us to accommodate the higher-than-expected demands of our main customer BMW in the U.S., China and South Africa, which we supply from right here in Iuka,” notes hago Automotive General Manager Alfred Geiger. “It will pave the way for further growth with other automotive manufacturers in the U.S. and overseas.”M I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E 57“ This new addition will allow us to accommodate the higher than expected demands of our main customer BMW in the U.S.,South Africa and China which we supply from right here in Iuka. ”— Alfred Geiger, GENERAL MANAGER, HAGO AUTOMOTIVEM I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E 57Next >