JUNO BEACH, Fla., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company
today announced capacity plans for its customers are well within the
guidelines offered by the Bush administration's new energy policy. FPL
confirmed the availability of an adequate supply of electricity to meet the
growing energy demands of its customers, now and well into the future. FPL is
adding electricity generation, emphasizing clean energy and the use of a
diverse array of fuels, promoting energy management and conservation, and
adding more high-voltage transmission lines.
FPL projects a 20 percent reserve margin for summer 2001, up from
15 percent a year ago. The company recently added 1,200 megawatts of new
generating capacity, or enough to power 280,000 additional homes and
businesses.
A reserve margin is the difference between a system's capability to
provide electricity and the peak demand for power during a specific period.
Reserves provide a power supply margin to account for scheduled plant
maintenance and peak electricity usage during weather extremes, barring
unplanned plant outages. The 20 percent reserve margin will help meet the
peak demand for power during specific periods of extreme weather.
Power Plant Expansion
FPL will add 2,500 megawatts at projects currently under way at Fort
Myers, Sanford and Martin plants over the next three years. Over the next
10 years FPL expects to add a total of nearly 7,000 megawatts of new capacity,
a 40 percent increase over current generation. That's enough power to provide
electricity to nearly 1.5 million homes.
Top Performing Power Plants
"FPL has added confidence in its ability to provide adequate power based
on the superior operating skills at its power plants. For example, last year
fossil plant availability was at 95 percent and nuclear plant availability was
at 93 percent. Plus, our diagnostics center is able to monitor plants, direct
preventive maintenance, recognize best practices and share these among
facilities," Evanson said. "FPL combines the superior operating skills of an
experienced, well-trained work force with investments in the latest technology
to make reliability of power one of the best in the business," he said.
As part of its power plant mix, the company operates a diversified power
plant fleet and focuses its efforts on clean energy generation. For example,
more than half of FPL's power sources are clean natural gas and nuclear
energy. Power plants not only meet environmental guidelines, but exceed
them.
Approximately 25 percent of the electricity produced by FPL comes from its
top performing nuclear plants. The company has requested an extension of its
license to operate Turkey Point and expects to take similar action for St.
Lucie in 2002.
FPL has significantly reduced emissions during the past decade and
continues its efforts, including re-powering existing oil-fired plants to use
clean, natural gas. The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Legal
Environmental Assistance Foundation have recognized FPL as one of the cleanest
electric companies in the country. Further, FPL produces the least amount of
nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide per megawatt hour of electricity generated.
Energy Management Programs
FPL also is a leader in promoting energy conservation and management. The
company offers a voluntary program, called On-Call, to residential and
commercial/industrial customers that enables the company to reduce their use
of electricity when necessary.
"Energy management programs are designed for the long-term as a resource,
just like power plants. The customer programs provide the utility the option
of reducing peaks and leveling out demand as needed, thus providing an
alternative to building a power plant to meet high usage for a few hours or a
few days a year," said Paul Evanson, president of FPL. "It makes good
environmental as well as good business sense to provide an On-Call program
that allows an option to physically install a device on water heaters, air
conditioners, and pool pumps. These appliances can then be periodically
cycled-off for a few minutes during peak energy use periods, such as an
extremely hot, summer afternoon, further ensuring that there is plenty of
electricity to meet the demand," Evanson said.
Residents and businesses participating in On-Call receive a monthly credit
on their electric bill. Unlike general conservation programs that depend on
voluntary actions to initiate reductions in power use, On-Call is pre-arranged
with the customer and used only when needed. FPL reports that enough energy
has been saved over the years through these measures to defer the need to
build approximately three mid-size power plants.
Energy Conservation
FPL combines On-Call, with voluntary, incentive-based energy conservation
programs. Through participation in energy conservation, customers have
voluntarily reduced energy usage equal to four additional power plants. These
voluntary programs that help customers conserve energy and save money include
Watt Saver rebate certificates for air conditioning ductwork repair,
installation of ceiling insulation, and upgrades to energy-efficient air
conditioning systems.
To help reduce electric bills, FPL recommends customers:
* Set the thermostat no lower than 78 degrees Fahrenheit during the
summer.
* Use ceiling fans in occupied rooms and adjust the a/c thermostat to
80 degrees Fahrenheit to save even more.
* Set the water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure
the power to the appliance is off first.
* Clean refrigerator condenser coils yearly.
* Set the refrigerator temperature to between 38 - 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
* Keep the refrigerator's freezer as full as possible so that the freezer
doesn't have to work as hard.
* Weather-strip doors, windows, and around wall-mounted air conditioners.
* Caulk between siding and windows and doorframes and beneath
windowsills.
In addition, FPL offers free, home energy surveys as well as low-cost air
conditioning duct tests to help customers identify leaks in their air
conditioning ductwork.
FPL Group, with annual revenues of more than $7 billion, is one of the
nation's largest providers of electricity-related services. FPL Group's
principal subsidiary is Florida Power & Light Company, one of the nation's
largest electric utilities, serving approximately 3.9 million customer
accounts in Florida. Additional information is available on the Internet at
http://www.fplgroup.com and http://www.fpl.com.
SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company
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Related links:
http//www.fpl.com
http://www.fplgroup.com
CONTACT:
Florida Power & Light Company Corporate
Communications, 305-552-3888
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