NEW ORLEANS - The Sewerage and Water Board West Power complex needs $34 million
to fully automate the substation when it becomes operational in June 2025. The New
Orleans City Council, in collaboration with the New Orleans legislative delegation, has
worked to fund the City’s match of $17 million as the final portion of funds needed to
fully automate the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans’s West Power Complex.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s office is also working on a $17 million match. Mayor
Cantrell and her Administration have now agreed to the funding, realizing the
importance of this project notwithstanding other City concerns.
“This power complex is one of the most important infrastructure projects in our
lifetime,” said District A Councilmember Joe Giarrusso, Budget Committee Chair .
“The substation will come online in June 2025. This new funding will ensure the
substation is not relying on people to manage the power and is instead completely
automated. Delay is not an option. I want to thank my Council colleagues for their
urgent attention, my legislative colleagues for their continued support, the Governor's
office for the state match and to Mayor Cantrell for getting behind these efforts for all
New Orleanians."
“It is not realistic to sit around and wait for funding to magically appear, which is why
this Council must act now,” said Council Vice-President JP Morrell. “I want to thank
the Governor’s Office for working with City Council and the New Orleans Delegation on
this project. This funding cannot wait, and we cannot waste time posturing to make a
political point.”
“I’m thrilled to see the New Orleans City Council, Governor Landry, and my colleagues
in the Louisiana Legislature come together to secure the $17 million local match for the
federal grant needed to complete this critical Sewerage and Water Board power plant
project,” said Representative Stephanie Hilferty, District 94 . “This collaborative
effort showcases what we can achieve when we work as a team for the betterment of
our community. While this funding is a significant milestone in modernizing the
Sewerage and Water Board’s operations, it’s important to recognize that our work is far
from over. This power plant is just the first step in a larger journey to upgrade
Sewerage and Water Board’s operations and infrastructure to ensure reliable services
for all our residents. We must maintain this momentum and continue to invest in the
systems that are vital to our city’s future.”
“From day one, Governor Landry and I have been lock-stepped on making this happen,”
said State Senator Jimmy Harris, District 4 . “I am pleased and relieved to know that
the New Orleans City Council is also in step on behalf of the citizens of New Orleans. All
of us, including the citizens of New Orleans, want and deserve the same thing. This is
simply to have electricity for the pumping systems to ensure available power for pump
operation that prevents flooding in our neighborhoods and on our streets.”
The allocation from the City Council will be $14 million from General Obligation bonds
from bonds the City recently sold. The remaining $3 million will come from Fair Share
dollars appropriated to Sewerage and Water Board.
In 2021, the power complex received $22 million in city funding. In 2022, Council
funded $30 million for the substation itself. In 2023, state legislators negotiated for an
additional $10 million in state capital outlay, plus $5 million in Fair Share dollars,
totaling $55 million in state funds to date. And this year, the Council allocated an
additional $20 million to this project when the phase one construction bids came in over
budget.
The funding ordinances will be filed at the September 19 City Council meeting and
considered for final approval at the October 10 meeting.
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Contact:
Claire Byun
Office of City Council District A Joseph I. Giarrusso, III
claire.byun@nola.gov
504.883.1724