1. Home
  2. Sustainability
  3. Social
 

Workforce Safety 

Workplace Safety 2023

Scholarships & Development

  • Power of a Promise

    The Power of a Promise Scholarship is part of Cleco’s $1.0 million commitment to Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC), which was announced in 2019, to help fund training, curriculum development and scholarships.

    It’s designed to help economically disadvantaged, female and minority students who plan to attend CLTCC in Alexandria.

    Cleco’s diversity and inclusion team designed the Power of a Promise Scholarship for economically disadvantaged, female and minority students who are juniors or seniors in high school and who plan to attend Central Louisiana Technical Community College Alexandria Campus and pursue a diploma in industrial manufacturing technology.

  • LSUE STEAM Innovation Center

    Cleco contributed $250,000 to the Louisiana State University at Eunice (LSUE) STEAM Innovation Center, the proposed renovation and reimagining of the current Science Building, the first building erected on the LSUE campus in 1967. The new structure will give LSUE and the surrounding area a first-class facility with the classroom and laboratory spaces needed in today’s academic environment. Cleco’s investment was made in partnership with the Community Foundation of Acadiana’s Donor Advised Fund.

Charitable Contributions

  • Spark

    Spark is Cleco’s employee giving and company matching platform. Spark allows employees to donate to causes they are passionate about that are located in Louisiana. Cleco will match an employee’s contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $1000 a year. 

  • Dollars for Doers

    Cleco believes that building connections between its employees and its communities creates a more meaningful, fulfilling, and enjoyable workplace. Cleco is committed to being a responsible company in the communities where it does business. Employees can be rewarded with $10 for every hour of volunteer time, up to $500 per year. Organizations are also able to enroll in the platform in order to receive donations faster and connect with corporate giving and volunteering opportunities at Cleco. Cleco also frequently collaborates with organizations on volunteer activities for its employees. Throughout the year, employees make a positive impact in their local communities and have found a multitude of special ways to volunteer.

  • Power of Sharing

    Cleco created the Power of Sharing Fund in 1985 to help elderly customers with low or fixed incomes pay their energy bills. The funds from this program are donated by Cleco, employees and customers and distributed by the Louisiana Association of Councils on Aging (COA) across the state. Currently, 16 COAs receive funds from Cleco's Power of Sharing Fund, including Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, DeSoto, Evangeline, Grant, Iberia, Red River, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany and Vernon. To find out if you or a loved one qualifies for assistance, contact one of the participating COAs. 

  • #GivingTuesday

    Cleco employees participated in #GivingTuesday, which is a global day of generosity that took place on November 28, 2023.  Employees showed their generosity in a multitude of ways, including making over $62,000 in monetary contributions through the company’s online platform, Spark.

Community Outreach

In 2023, Cleco launched its Done in a Day program which furthers the company’s partnerships with charitable organizations across its service territory, as well as provides an opportunity for its employees to get involved in the community. Through the program, Cleco works with non-profit organizations who request assistance with a project that can be completed in one day or a few hours.  

Cleco Marketplace Shopping BagPower Wise Program 

Power Wise™ is Cleco’s energy efficiency program for residential and commercial customers. The program offers solutions that can help customers save energy and learn more about energy efficiency. Through Power Wise, customers can receive direct rebates for appliance and equipment upgrades and purchases, sign up for a free home energy audit to identify problem areas and make energy-saving improvements to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient. Power Wise also provides resources to help teachers teach energy and water efficiency in the classroom.

Unite Us

Cleco partnered with Unite Us, a coordinated care referral network of health and social service providers, to address the needs of our customers and connect them with resources in Louisiana. Unite Us can connect our customers with food, clothing, lodging, childcare, transportation, mental health, utility bill assistance and more if customers meet each program’s eligibility criteria such as income, number of household members, location, etc. Providers in the network are connected through the Unite Us shared technology platform which enables them to send and receive electronic referrals, address social needs and improve health across communities.

Upholding Energy Affordability & Reliability 

Reliability 2023

Sustaining Our Workforce in 2022

Employee Demographics v2

Press Releases

Cleco Power Launches Major Louisiana Economic Initiative: Project Diamond Vault

Diamond Vault Logo_480x360
Apr 11, 2022

$9 Million in Congressional Funding Secured to Support Engineering Study
Pineville, La. (April 11, 2022) – Cleco Power is investing in the development of a new, state-of-the-art carbon capture facility located in the heart of central Louisiana at the Brame Energy Center. Project Diamond Vault, which will begin with a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study, will retrofit Cleco’s existing Madison 3 plant to reduce 95% or more of its carbon dioxide emissions through carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology.

“Diamond Vault will bring Cleco to the forefront of environmentally friendly energy production,” President and CEO, Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC, Bill Fontenot said.

“Our organization has been honored to work collaboratively with Louisiana Economic Development (LED) to bring this innovative technology to our state through the FEED study, which will ensure the advancement of the energy industry and support the health and well-being of our communities,” Fontenot said.

Diamond Vault will be one of the first American projects to capture the existing CO2 emissions of a power plant and sequester them in geological formations. Madison 3 already has low emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulates because of its use of advanced combustion technology and pollution control measures. The installation of CCS technology through Diamond Vault will ensure that Madison 3 remains a state-of-the-art solid fuel plant.

Diamond Vault is expected to create an average of 1,100 direct construction jobs over a three-year period and 30-40 new permanent positions. On a statewide basis, LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott estimates that Diamond Vault, during the construction period, will create an average of 2,900 jobs each year, inject $2.7 billion in increased sales and household earnings into the Louisiana economy and produce $50 million in increased state tax revenues. Construction of Diamond Vault is expected to begin in 2025 and commercial operation is planned for 2028.

The FEED study for Diamond Vault will take about 18 months to complete and is projected to cost approximately $12 million. Cleco has secured a $9 million congressional appropriation to be administered and disbursed by LED which will help to defray the FEED study cost. After the study, Cleco plans to raise project capital funding of approximately $900 million through tax credits, Department of Energy grants and private equity investment.

Diamond Vault was unveiled during a press announcement on April 11 and has been in planning by Cleco with the support of political leaders and LED for more than a year. United States Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. was instrumental in advancing the project through his sponsorship of FEED study funding in the enacted 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

Cleco has retained expert assistance to bring Project Diamond Vault to fruition. Sargent & Lundy, a Chicago-based global power and energy design firm, is serving as owner’s engineer. Battelle, a private nonprofit dedicated to scientific and technological commercialization and advancement, is advising on the characterization of geological storage capacity, permitting and storage operations.

“Our customers deserve a world where anyone can access clean power. We invest in these efficiency and optimization technologies today, so that our communities can experience a brighter future tomorrow,” Fontenot said.

About Cleco Power LLC
Cleco Power is a regulated electric public utility company that owns nine generating units with a rated capacity of 3,035 MWs and serves approximately 291,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana and Mississippi. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.                                

Media Contact:

[email protected]