JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Florida Power & Light
Company today outlined a new plan to meet customer growth and increased use of
electricity by expanding at its existing power plant sites in Martin and
Manatee counties. The proposal would add 1,900 megawatts of new, cleaner-
burning natural gas combined-cycle generation by mid-2005.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010621/FPLLOGO )
The proposal would allow FPL to serve more than 400,000 new customers by
the middle of the decade and maintain a 20 percent reserve margin.
FPL's expansion proposal calls for:
* Adding 1,100 megawatts of new, state-of-the-art, natural gas-fired
combined-cycle generation at its 9,500-acre Manatee plant site east of
Bradenton on Florida's west coast.
* Converting two existing natural gas combustion turbines, along with two
new turbines, into more efficient combined-cycle natural gas generation
providing an additional 800 megawatts at its 11,300-acre Martin site
near Indiantown, Florida.
Combined-cycle generating technology uses combustion turbines (similar to
jet engines) in combination with steam-driven turbine/generators to
efficiently and cost-effectively produce electricity. The Martin site natural
gas peaking units planned for conversion are turbines currently used just for
short periods of time to meet high customer use in the summer or winter.
These two projects would increase the company's capability to provide
electricity to customers by 10 percent. The decision to build these units is
the result of the utility's comprehensive evaluation of power purchase
proposals from other companies and FPL-formulated alternatives. The
evaluation showed that expansion at existing FPL sites was the most cost-
effective option for our customers and represented the best balance of
economic and environmental considerations.
FPL's capacity expansion evaluation was designed to assure that
sufficient, reliable generation would be in place by mid-decade to meet
customer growth and increased use of electricity in the most efficient and
economical manner.
"We are pleased that our proposal offers customers the opportunity for
reliable energy, using a clean fuel and existing FPL sites. That helps
conserve Florida's resources," said FPL President Paul Evanson.
Evanson also announced an additional opportunity for the existing Manatee
generating units.
"Thanks to the arrival of a new natural gas pipeline on Florida's west
coast, we also plan to use natural gas in combination with oil at our existing
Manatee generating units," Evanson said.
"Adding natural gas at FPL's last remaining oil-fired generating units
helps maintain the reliability of FPL's system by supporting our fuel
diversity strategy. At the same time, burning gas at these units will improve
their environmental performance."
FPL must complete a number of steps to earn acceptance and approval for
its expansion proposal.
"Our first step is opening a dialogue with the residents of these
communities about our proposed projects, which we will begin immediately,"
said Mr. Evanson. "We want to learn about the communities' interests and
priorities and incorporate them into the technical requirements we must meet
in order to provide additional electricity to the region."
Then, within the coming weeks, FPL will take its generation expansion
proposals to the Florida Public Service Commission for a "need" determination.
At that time the company will review its decision-making process and customer
load growth forecast with the commission. FPL also will seek government and
agency approvals for the plant expansions by filing site certification
applications with Florida's Department of Environmental Protection. This will
provide for a rigorous public and governmental review process as prescribed by
Florida's comprehensive Power Plant Siting Act.
Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group,
Inc. (NYSE: FPL), one of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related
services with annual revenues of more than $8 billion. The company serves
3.9 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, LLC, an FPL Group
energy-generating subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean
and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at
http://www.fpl.com.
SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company
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http://www.fpl.com
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CONTACT:
Florida Power & Light Company Corporate
Communications, +1-305-552-3888
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