< Previous38 MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE In that same speech, the governor made it clear that Mississippi would pursue an “all of the above” approach to energy development. “As demand grows, we must aim higher,” he said. “What we are doing today is not enough. We must invest in energy to enrich our population. When we make power here, we create high-paying, stable jobs. This is how Mississippi rises. It will take all forms of energy and every corner of our economy. We need abundant, affordable energy that feeds ambition and wealth for our citizens.” Reeves added that his comprehensive approach to energy development would incorporate natural gas, nuclear power, renewable energy sources, technology utilization and other means to increase Mississippi’s total supply of power. A Reliable and Affordable State Historically, Mississippi has been known as a state that offers reliable and affordable energy for industrial uses. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Mississippi ranked No. 14 in the nation in February 2025 with an average industrial power cost of 6.88 cents per kilowatt hour. That is cheaper than neighboring states of Alabama and Kentucky and only slightly more than Tennessee. Mississippi power customers also experience reliability due to the fact that the state offers a surplus of electric power, fresh water, natural gas, transportation fuel infrastructure and a carbon dioxide pipeline system. The state is also not prone to extreme temperatures. The average temperature in January is 48 degrees, and in July it is 81. Gov. Reeves (center) says the state will pursue a wide variety of energy sources as it works to build Mississippi into an energy powerhouse for growing companies. Photo courtesy of MDA and the Office of the GovernorMISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 39 The governor said the message to CEOs and site selectors around the world is simple: “One reason Mississippi has attracted a historic run of private investment is our optimistic, abundance-minded energy policy,” he said. “When companies learn they can trust us to provide power to manufacture, smelt and compute, their eyes light up and their wallets open. They invest in our state, our people and our land.” “When private sector companies learn they can trust that we can provide the power to manufacture, smelt and compute, their eyes light up and their wallets open up. They invest in our state, and our people, and our land.” — Gov. Tate Reeves40 MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE by RON STARNER Mississippi’s Power Infrastructure Gives State A Competitive MISSISSIPPI’S ENERGY PROFILE hen it comes to providing a stable and aff ordable supply of energy to industrial customers, Mississippi stacks up favorably compared to other states. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Mississippi has the fi fth-lowest average gasoline prices in the country. Natural gas, nuclear power and coal are the primary energy sources for industrial production in the state, with natural gas consumption topping 600 trillion BTUs in 2022. The 1,400-megawatt Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Station in Port Gibson, Mississippi, is the largest single-reaction nuclear power plant in net summer generating capacity in the U.S., according to the EIA. This one is responsible for generating approximately 16% of the state’s total electricity. And thanks to state leadership and regulatory body approvals, more electric generating capacity is being added statewide. On April 11, Entergy Mississippi announced that it had selected a site on West County Line Road in Ridgeland for new power generation. The company plans to build a new advanced combined-cycle combustion turbine natural gas plant on this site. The $1 billion investment will generate 760 megawatts of power upon buildout and full operation in 2029, the company stated. The project comes on the heels of a separate announcement last October to build the Delta Blues Advanced Power Station in Greenville, Mississippi. That project will be a 754-megawatt facility and will represent a $1.2 billion investment – the largest power plant project to date in Mississippi. Both of these projects come at a time when Mississippi lawmakers and energy experts are calling for the creation of additional nuclear power generating capacity in the W Entergy Mississippi workers keep the power humming for residential and industrial customers throughout the state. Photos courtesy of Entergy Mississippi EdgeEdgestate. During a meeting last October with the Mississippi Senate Energy Committee at the State Capitol in Jackson, leaders from Entergy and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) met with lawmakers to discuss the importance of using new technology to advance construction of nuclear generating capacity in the state. “Nuclear is the future,” Senate Energy Committee Chairman Joel Carter said. At that same meeting, a representative of TVA said that nuclear power accounts for 42% of the company’s grid, which includes Northeast Mississippi. As TVA looks to decreases its carbon footprint to meet certain net zero goals by 2050, the company indicated that it would consider nuclear energy expansion in that mix. TVA currently operates three nuclear facilities. Two are in Tennessee, and one is in Alabama. There are other factors, however, that make Mississippi a desirable destination for industrial power customers, according to the EIA: • Mississippi is one of a handful of states with large underground salt caverns capable of storing natural gas. In fact, Mississippi has about one-fourth of total U.S. underground salt cavern natural gas storage capacity. • Mississippi’s Pascagoula oil refi nery is the nation’s 11th- largest refi nery, with the capacity to process about 356,000 barrels of oil per day into automotive gasoline, diesel fuel and other petroleum products. Together, the state’s three refi neries account for roughly 2% of the nation’s total refi ning capacity. • Natural gas accounts for about 76% of Mississippi’s electricity net generation and is the primary fuel source for nine of the state’s 10 largest power plants. • Mississippi ranks 13th in total energy consumption per capita; 16th in total energy expenditure per capita; 22nd in electricity production; 21st in natural gas production; 15th in crude oil production; and 15th in coal production. MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 41 Natural gas accounts for about 76% of Mississippi’s electricity net generation and is the primary fuel source for nine of the state’s 10 largest power plants. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Mississippi Net Electricity Generation by Source, 2025. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration42 MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE How a new marketing campaign supports economic growth in Mississippi. by RON STARNER NEW MDA CAMPAIGNMISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 43 f there was any doubt that Mississippi is stomping its foot on the gas to power economic development, that uncertainty was removed with gusto on February 5 when Gov. Tate Reeves unveiled the state’s new branding campaign: “Let’s Break New Ground.” Created in partnership with the Ridgeland-based Ramey Agency, the campaign delivers a strong and straightforward message on the state’s commitment to bringing new investment and good-paying jobs to Mississippians through adherence to pro-business policies and creation of a favorable business environment. “When it comes to economic development, Mississippi is breaking new ground for business and its people,” Gov. Reeves said. “This brand campaign highlights our state’s pioneering spirit, the strength of our partnerships and our willingness to think creatively to help businesses succeed. We’ve experienced record-breaking economic development successes over the last few years. As the economic landscape evolves across sectors, we are excited to break new ground and further expand I Gov. Tate Reeves greets a member of the state’s ample manufacturing workforce during a recent plant tour. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Mississippi44 MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE both our diverse portfolio of industries and opportunities for Mississippians.” The campaign comes on the heels of unprecedented economic progress throughout the Magnolia State. In early February, Compass Datacenters announced a $10 billion investment into creating a massive AI data center complex in Meridian in Lauderdale County. In 2024, Amazon Web Services announced a $10 billion commitment to building two such data center campuses in Madison County. Amplify Cell Technologies, Liebherr and PCC Gulf Chem added another combined $2.8 billion in projects to the state. Bill Cork, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, says that “Mississippi has a proven track record of delivering results for businesses. With ‘Let’s Break New Ground,’ we’re sending a clear message that Mississippi is the place where innovation meets opportunity. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and work alongside companies so they can go from investing money to making money in record time. The ‘Mississippi Momentum’ is strong, and we have no intention of slowing down any time soon.” Indeed, the numbers on recent economic progress statewide bear that out. A Site Selection magazine survey of national site consultants ranked Mississippi as having the seventh best business climate in the country. Area Development magazine showed Mississippi as having the sixth most favorable regulatory environment and ranking eighth in site readiness programs. Meanwhile, the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index The old Hancock County Bank in Bay St. Louis stands as a living monument to commercial history in Mississippi. Photo courtesy of Coastal MississippiMISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 45 rated Mississippi as having the sixth best corporate tax rate in the country. Site selectors say that the momentum that Mississippi is building up is real. “Mississippi demonstrates a strong commitment to engaging with the site selection community, with the state’s electric utilities playing a particularly proactive role,” says Tess Fay, principal and vice president of location intelligence at Global Location Strategies in Greenville, South Carolina. “While technically competitors, these power providers have come together to form a consortium that promotes unified, positive messaging – helping to keep Mississippi top of mind for site selectors.” John Tingle, chief marketing officer for MDA, says that is no accident. He says that MDA and Ramey worked together to craft a platform that will resonate strongly with site selectors, CEOs and other decision influencers. “The goal was to create something that was aspirational and that would be a strong part of our brand identity and purpose,” he says. “We wanted it to be a rallying cry that was both promising and inviting.” He adds that “our economic development brand is all about more than the actual groundbreakings that have taken “This brand campaign highlights our state’s pioneering spirit, the strength of our partnerships and our willingness to think creatively to help businesses succeed.” — Gov. Tate Reeves46 MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE place here over the last four to five years. It also speaks to speed to market. A prospect can come in, make the decision to invest in Mississippi, and then break new ground for their business in short order. Ready sites, innovative incentives, and partnerships are key. Our entire team at MDA wanted to put out a message that would convey those aspects of what Mississippi offers.” The first time he saw “Let’s Break New Ground,” Tingle says, “I liked it immediately. It is active, provocative and inviting.” MDA wasted no time in putting the new slogan into action. “In January, we started running national ad campaigns,” says Tingle. “These campaigns included print, digital media and social media. Our goal was to create as much inbound traffic as possible. The key was to reach those customer-facing channels at the highest level. Going forward, we will be carrying this message down each vertical industry sector. We will use this message to drive FDI and create new opportunities within each division of industry.” Tingle adds that one goal of the new campaign is to help prospects understand what is possible in Mississippi. “That is part of the rationale behind the new graphic being three-dimensional. Depending on the way you look at it, you can see the point of the shovel or the corner of a building,” he notes. “Either way, you are looking at the results of a groundbreaking. It is a striking visual.” Gov. Tate Reeves speaks at the recent groundbreaking of a new industrial park in Grenada, Mississippi. Upon buildout, SouthPoint Mississippi Industrial Park will offer more than 2 million sq. ft. of industrial space in 14 buildings. It is a project of the Hollingsworth Companies, the largest non-urban industrial real estate builder in the Southeast U.S. Photo courtesy of MDAMISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 47 INTERNATIONAL TRADE DIVISION T he pandemic speed bump that slowed exports from Mississippi and other states in recent years is in the rearview mirror today. In 2024, Mississippi exported $13.7 billion of goods up from $10.2 billion in 2020. Look ahead, and signs point to growing volumes of exports in the Magnolia State’s top industries. The top fi ve exports from Mississippi last year were mineral fuels and related products at $4.3 billion; optical, photographic, medical and surgical instruments ($1.5 billion); electrical machinery and equipment and media by MARK AREND How Mississippi Primes The Export Pump Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves met with Director-General Yvonne Hsiao of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offi ce in April 2024 to discuss strengthening Mississippi’s economic partnership with Taiwan. Photo courtesy of the Office of the GovernorNext >