Warren County Board of Supervisors President Kelle Barfield added that the development reflects a competitive advantage for Warren County.
“Reliable and affordable electricity is crucial to our economic development,” Barfield said. “But Haley (Fisackerly) also mentioned 21 employees who will be permanent here once the construction is over, and I would remind you, those aren’t just twenty-one workers; that’s some two-dozen families that will live and shop here and go to school here at our fine Vicksburg-Warren County schools. So affordable and reliable electricity is more than just a convenience, it is a true economic advantage.”
State and federal leaders echoed that message of partnership. Public Service Commissioner De’Keither Stamps compared Mississippi’s coordinated economic push to a team that knows how to move the ball together, crediting cooperation across state leadership for helping projects like the Vicksburg Advanced Power Station move forward.
“Normally, when we do billion-dollar projects, the Public Service Commissioner doesn’t get to speak because we’re like the offensive line of the economic team,” he said. “How often when an NFL team wins do they interview the guard or the tackle? But we’re trying to be the best offensive guards and defensive tackles we can be — to help block and tackle so the governor and the rest of the economic development team can run it down the field and score touchdowns like today.”
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said the groundbreaking shows the strength of collaboration among all levels of government, noting that the project reflects years of coordinated effort to expand Mississippi’s economic capacity.
“Today is a good example of the federal, state and local partnership and when it works,” Thompson said. “The beauty of it is nobody saw behind the curtain how difficult from a regulatory standpoint or other standpoint what you have to do. It’s always good when everybody gets together and tries to take credit for the product. So that’s why we’re here — to thank everyone who had a part: our supervisors, the city, the state, and those of us at the federal level who always support economic incentives that create opportunity for things to occur.”
He called the Vicksburg Advanced Power Station a “significant milestone” that will sustain job creation and encourage further development in the Delta.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves called the Vicksburg Advanced Power Station a milestone for the state’s continued economic momentum, describing it as proof that Mississippi’s investment in infrastructure and workforce readiness is paying off.
“The Vicksburg Advanced Power Station will be another important asset in Mississippi’s energy portfolio, and it is a massive win for Vicksburg, a massive win for Warren County, and a massive win for the state of Mississippi,” Reeves said.
He noted that Mississippi has announced seven billion-dollar projects since 2020 — a record pace that shows the growing confidence in the state’s industrial capacity.
“You cannot grow your economy by bringing new capital investment unless you have available power and electricity,” Reeves said. “And you can’t afford to build more power unless you have the potential for economic growth. So where we find ourselves today is because Mississippi is now well positioned for economic growth, as we have proven to the world, the kind of place we are to do business, and we have great partners like Entergy that are willing to invest in their capitol to ensure that we benefit from that growth.”
Among those attending the ceremony were Alderwoman Vickie Bailey, Alderman T.J. Mayfield, State Representatives Kevin Ford, Jeffery Harness and Oscar Denton, State Senator Briggs Hopson, and Warren County Supervisors Ed Herring, Shawn Jackson, and William Banks.