Entergy Corporation has made the list of the top 10 utilities when it comes to economic development, said the September issue of Site Selection magazine.

Compiled annually, the unranked list results from a survey composed using criteria including capital investment, job creation, capital investment per capita and jobs per 10,000 in population. The utilities were listed alphabetically in the magazine, with no best or worst designations.

Accomplishments at four Entergy subsidiaries were singled out by the Norcross, Ga.-based expansion planning publication. They included:

* Entergy Mississippi Inc., for its Site Certification Program set up to evaluate the development readiness of Entergy-served sites. Ceres Research and Industrial Interplex in Warren County was named an Entergy-certified site in 2007.

* Entergy Louisiana LLC, for creation of the Louisiana Site Selection Center Web site geared to help industries search for available buildings and sites. 

* Entergy Arkansas Inc., for assisting Clark County in developing a ballot issue to collect sales tax for economic development which voters approved with 68 percent support.

* Entergy Texas Inc., for its  leading role in the Southeast Texas Industrial Workforce Alliance to develop $15 billion in industrial construction projects in the coming years seen as vital in addressing a craft-worker shortage.

Additionally, the four affiliates were lauded for investing a combined $10.4 billion in development projects, creating 14,400 jobs.

“We’re gratified for this important national recognition,” Entergy Mississippi Inc. director of economic development John Turner said in a statement. “Entergy has some of the best community-based economic development professionals in the country.”

Entergy provides power to about 2.6 million customers in its four-state area. In Mississippi, more than 433,000 are served in 45 counties, including Warren.

Mississippi Power, which provides electricity in south Mississippi, also made the list. The Gulfport-based utility was recognized for launching its Project Ready industrial site development program.  

Other honorees were Ohio-based utilities American Electric Power and FirstEnergy Corp., Alabama Power, Texas-based CenterPoint Energy, Indiana and North Carolina-based Duke Energy, Georgia Power, North Carolina-based Progress Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“Utilities play a key role as participants in the economic development efforts of cities, regions and all areas working to improve their local business climate,” said Mark Arend, editor-in-chief of Site Selection. “This year’s top utilities were particularly successful in this endeavor in 2007.”

“The top utilities in economic development have an abundance mentality,” wrote Adam Bruns, managing editor of Site Selection, in the article appearing in the issue. “The teamwork happens across internal corporate hierarchies and across regional geographic boundaries.”

This week, Entergy Corp. guided its third-quarter earnings below Wall Street’s expectations, citing the effects of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. The electric utility expects to earn about $2.40 per share for the period, with operational earnings of $2.49 per share. On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of $2.60 per share.

The company earned $2.30 per share in the year-ago period. Entergy is scheduled to report its quarterly results Oct. 28.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com.