< Previous38 M I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E N T G U I DE he Gulfport-Biloxi- Pascagoula MSA, located along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, is home to nearly 400,000 people and a highly supportive business climate. Encompassing three counties — Hancock, Harrison and Jackson — this region offers easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and is a hub for shipbuilding, aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing and petrochemicals. Not only is the coastal region beautiful to visit, but it’s also T R E G ION P R OF I L E : G U L F P OR T / B I L O X I Gulfport-Biloxi- Pascagoula: Built to Move AEROSPACE AND SHIPBUILDING LEAD IN COASTAL MISSISSIPPI. by S AVA N N A H K I NG PHOTO COURTESY MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITYM I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E N T G U I DE 39 a strategic position in the southeast. In addition to its large military presence, including Keesler Air Force Base and the Naval Construction Battalion Center, the region is home to NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, the largest rocket engine test complex in North America. Coastal Mississippi is well suited for continued growth in the aerospace sector with three aerospace parks along Interstate 10, the fastest-growing aerospace corridor in the U.S. The region is home to a large and growing list of UAS companies thanks to its unlimited air and water space and supporting industry. Additionally, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Pearl River Community College offer UAS research, testing , and development curriculum. With access to three ports, major shipbuilding operations established in the region include Huntington Ingalls Industries, U.S. Marine Inc., Halter Marine Inc., Gulf Coast Shipyard Group, Signet Maritime and Rolls Royce. Huntington- Ingalls, which has produced warships for the U.S. Navy and other governments since the 1930s, is the state’s largest private employer. In 2020, two shipbuilders announced plans to expand in the region and create hundreds of jobs. Gulf Ship, a specialty shipbuilding operation, is growing in Gulfport, where it will fulfill a new contract for tugboats and create more than 200 jobs. ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore Inc. is expanding in Pascagoula, where it will create 100 jobs. The coastal region is also a powerhouse for energy and specialty chemical production. Mississippi’s energy assets include 12 major natural gas pipelines statewide, Chevron’s largest domestic refinery, and several other smaller oil and natural gas refineries. Several pipelines extend through the area, supporting a range of industries. JacksonHarrisonHancock Gulfport-Biloxi- Pascagoula MSA40 M I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E N T G U I DE ith Cooperative Energy, Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power, customers in the Magnolia State will find that their energy needs are met with superior service and at some of the most competitive rates in the country. Mitch Stringer, director of economic development for Cooperative Energy, says that his organization’s 11 member-owned distribution electric cooperatives provide electric power to roughly 432,000 customers in 55 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. Stretching from Lyon and Greenwood in the north to Lucedale and Kiln in the south, the service territory of Cooperative Energy covers the length of the state and meets the needs of both residential and industrial end-users. “We touch just about every county west of Interstate 55 and just about every county south of Interstate 20,” says Stringer. “We are based in Hattiesburg, but we are very experienced in serving the needs of all of our customers in a wide variety of industries across the state.” While the global pandemic slowed business growth considerably in the second and third quarters of 2020, the pace of corporate expansion accelerated quickly in the fourth quarter of 2020 and has continued well into 2021, Stringer notes. “Business expansion activity has picked up a lot lately. The fourth quarter of last year was when we started to see the pickup emerge. Then, by the first quarter of 2021, that’s when it really picked up, and it has increased even more in the second quarter.” COVID-19 may have dimmed 3 LARGE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES CATER TO THE NEEDS OF GROWING BUSINESSES. by RON S TA R N E R W Powering Up to Meet Demand in 82 Counties U T IL I T IE SM I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E N T G U I DE 41 business growth prospects for a while, but it did not deter a number of sizable investments in the service territory of Cooperative Energy last year. Among the more notable projects were Rolls-Royce investing $22 million and adding 24 jobs in Pascagoula; RespirTek investing $1.5 million and hiring 25 people in Jackson County; Cutting Edge Meat Co. committing $1.35 million to expand in Leaksville and add 14 jobs; and Adranos Inc. spending $525,000 to grow its rocket fuel testing business in Stone County, a deal that added 20 positions. Stringer says to expect more sawmill project announcements in the second half of 2021 as well. “In Mississippi last year, there were four major sawmill announcements,” he says. “If the demand for wood products keeps up over the next six months, we will have another four MQ-8C Fire Scout PHOTO COURTESY NORTHROP GRUMMAN42 M I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E NT G U I DE “If the demand for wood products keeps up over the next six months, we will have another four announcements around the state just in our territory.” — Mitch Stringer, D E D, C E announcements around the state just in our territory.” Cooperative Energy’s sales pitch to industrial prospects is simple, says Stringer. “We off er low costs, and abundance of available assets, particularly for end-users in the timber and wood products sectors, and we off er power that is readily available and aff ordable across our 55-county territory. Plus, people are available, qualifi ed and ready to go to work; and they are becoming more and more skilled all the time, thanks to our network of six community colleges.” ENTERGY MISSISSIPPI Entergy Mississippi, based in Jackson, serves about 456,000 customers in 45 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. Entergy companies employ approximately 2,500 people in the state, and the service territory ranges from Adams and Amite counties to Yalobusha and Yazoo counties and a host of places in between. Entergy serves some of the biggest and most power-hungry industries in the country. To ensure that these heavy industry customers have access to reliable and aff ordable energy, Entergy established a Business Development Team to provide comprehensive assistance to support the needs of businesses across the entire four-state Entergy region of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. From site selection to energy planning and technical engineering and fi nancing, Entergy has people available to help expanding businesses at every step along the way. Entergy’s dedicated Project and Technical Services Group will “work with you from the moment you begin thinking of opening a new location or expanding your business,” the company notes on its website. Among the many services provided by Entergy to facilitate economic development are a comprehensive database of buildings and sites, GIS analysis, site evaluation, property and community marketing videos, and the ability to develop prompt, innovative and cost- eff ective solutions to address power quality sensitivities for large industrial customers. MISSISSIPPI POWER Mississippi Power, headquartered in Gulfport, has been around for nearly a full century and produces energy for more than 188,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. These range from Leake and Neshoba counties on the northern end of the territory to Hancock, Harrison and Jackson on the Gulf Coast. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state. The company also recently received the Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing eff orts to build a diverse workforce. The sales pitch from Mississippi Power to industrial customers is straightforward. “The region off ers a highly motivated and productive workforce that is supported by a network of community colleges capable of customizing workforce training programs for new and expanding industry,” the company notes on its website. “Southeast Mississippi is strategically located in one of the fastest growing regions of the U.S. and off ers operating costs below the national average.” A large inventory of available sites and buildings, including sites certifi ed through Mississippi Power’s Project Ready program, makes fi nding the optimum site for business a lot quicker and easier; and Mississippi Power stands ready to help prospects qualify for a host of competitive incentives. 44 M I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E N T G U I DE by RON S TA R N E R HOW MISSISSIPPI PORTS CATER TO MANUFACTURERS, SHIPPERS AND CONSUMERS. P O R T S & WA T E R WA Y S ith access to 15 ports providing direct passage to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River and other inland waterways, Mississippi stands apart as a destination of choice for logistics end-users along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. From the Port of Gulfport and the Port of Pascagoula on the Gulf Coast to Yellow Creek in Iuka in the northeastern corner of the state, Mississippi offers a little bit of everything for manufacturers and shippers needing access to markets throughout the Americas. Five ports on the Mississippi River provide a direct connection to places in Canada, Mexico and everywhere in between. An unparalleled water transportation network like that is a big reason why Mississippi landed so many shipping-driven projects in 2020. For example, inland water transportation firm Golding Barge Line grew its operations in Vicksburg with a $20 million investment that created 25 new jobs. In Pascagoula, ship maintenance and repair company ST Engineering Halter Marin and Offshore Inc. committed to invest $10 million into a corporate expansion and add 100 new workers. The thousands of miles of shipping lanes in and around Mississippi are a big reason why the state accounts for an abundance of foreign trade. Every year, Mississippi companies export more than $2.2 billion worth of goods to Canada, the state’s No. 1 trade partner. Mexico ranks second W Waterways to the WorldM I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E N T G U I DE 45 with $1.7 billion, while Panama ranks third with $1.03 billion. The remaining top 10 trade partners for exports are the Netherlands, Honduras, China, Belgium, Guatemala, Japan and Brazil. Pivotal to this trade success are Mississippi’s two major ports on the Gulf Coast: the Port of Gulfport and the Port of Pascagoula. The Port of Gulfport is a deep- water, international seaport handling around 329 deep-draft vessels annually. A key gateway to Central America, the port is the second largest green fruit import facility in the U.S. In the last fi ve years the port has signed several new leases with maritime tenants and existing tenants, including Chemours, Dole, Island View Casino Resort and Crowley. It’s also the home port for the University of Southern Mississippi’s research vessel. The Port of Pascagoula is administered by the Jackson County Port Authority and is located on the southeastern coast of the state as a full-service deep-water port with modern facilities for handling cargo from around the globe. The port’s two harbors include a combination of public and private terminals that can handle more than 32 million tons of cargo through the ship channel each year. The Port of Pascagoula is the largest seaport in Mississippi and ranks among the top 20 ports nationally in total foreign cargo volume. This port’s primary assets include 42-feet-deep channels, just 2 hours pilotage to shipping lanes, weather- protected rail operations, extremely competitive rates and a fl exible labor force. One of the most strategic inland ports in the state is the Port of Vicksburg, which handles 14 million tons of freight annually and off ers the only rail crossing of the Mississippi River in the state. It is also designated as a Foreign Trade Zone and Port of Entry and maintains a U.S. Customs Service operation. Within the state are four other ports along the 2,350-mile-long river: Rosedale, Greenville, Gibson and Natchez. Waterways to the World Mississippi River, Vicksburg MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY46 M I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E NT G U I DE C L E A N E N E R G Y ith utilities, developers, investors, customers and state offi cials in Jackson all plugged in, Mississippi is in the midst of a solar energy surge. Mississippi Power, the state’s largest utility, has four solar projects in the works and touts the clean and renewable energy source as a stable and cost-eff ective generator of electricity. “As Mississippi’s largest partner in renewable energy,” the company said in statement, “we’re proud to support the state’s economy and solar growth.” In the spring of 2021 alone, new solar projects that either broke ground or were announced in Mississippi promise to more than double the state’s production of solar electricity. On April 22, Canadian Solar announced that its subsidiary, Recurrent Energy, had broken ground on the 100 MW Sunfl ower Solar Project on 1,000 acres in Sunfl ower County in the Mississippi Delta. Sunfl ower is one of the fi rst utility-scale solar projects to be constructed under a Build Transfer Agreement in the U.S.. Ownership of the plant will transfer to Entergy Mississippi when it reaches commercial NEW INVESTMENTS POWER MISSISSIPPI’S SOLAR EVOLUTION. by G A RY DAUGH T E R S ith utilities, developers, investors, customers and state offi cials in Jackson all plugged in, Mississippi is in the midst of a solar energy Solar Rising P H O TO : G E T T Y I M AG E SM I S S I S S I P P I DE V E L OP M E N T G U I DE 47 operation in early 2022. The Sunfl ower project is expected to employ approximately 400 workers at peak construction, with 75% of those construction jobs expected to be fi lled by local skilled tradespeople from the area. Once operational, the project will power more than 16,000 homes with low- cost, clean electricity, equivalent to displacing approximately 170,000 metric tons of CO2 per year or taking about 37,000 passenger vehicles off the road. “The Sunfl ower Solar project is another important milestone in Entergy Corporation’s continued transformation of its power generation portfolio, meeting customers’ needs with clean, effi cient sources of electricity while maintaining some of the lowest retail rates in the country,” said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO. “Entergy’s investments in its generation portfolio transformation have resulted in substantial reductions in the company’s greenhouse gas emissions and provided signifi cant savings to customers from lower fuel costs,” Fisackerly said. “Along with being able to off er renewable energy to our customers once this project is complete, we’re pleased with the positive economic impact it will have on Sunfl ower County and the Mississippi Delta.” RECORD BREAKING STREAK When Recurrent broke ground, its Sunfl ower solar project could have been counted as Mississippi’s biggest. But that held for less than a week because, in a fi tting sign of solar power’s rapid growth, a project twice the size was announced just fi ve days later when the Tennessee Valley Authority tapped Origis Energy to develop a 200 MW solar farm in Clay County, in Mississippi’s Golden Triangle. Origis will develop, build own and operate the plant, which is to include 50 MW of battery storage. The Clay County installation is one of three being built in the Golden Triangle by Florida-based Origis under contract with TVA. The three projects, representing a total capital investment of $500 million, are to generate a combined 550 megawatts of energy along with another 300 megawatts in battery storage. A 150-MW facility in the Triangle’s Lowndes County is to provide power to two Facebook data centers in the Southeast, a potent demonstration of solar power driving economic development. The Lowndes County solar plant is to include 50 MW of battery storage. “This solar farm will be Facebook’s fi rst renewable energy project in Mississippi and fi rst large-scale energy storage project, which marks an important milestone for our global portfolio,” said Urvi Parekh, head of renewable energy at Facebook. The Mississippi Clean Energy Initiative Incentives Program provides tax incentives to companies that manufacture systems or components used to generate clean, renewable or alternative energy, which includes nuclear, solar and wind power and hydrogenation. The program provides qualifying companies with a 10-year exemption from state income and franchise taxes, as well as a sales and use tax exemption to establish a plant or expand an existing production facility. To qualify, businesses must commit to invest a minimum of $50 million and create 250 full-time jobs. Eligible businesses must be certifi ed by the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) to take advantage of these incentives.Next >