Aug 23 2010
Florida Power & Light Company (NYSE:NEE) changed the Space Coast skyline this morning by demolishing the most visible structures at its 42-acre, 45-year-old Cape Canaveral Power Plant, as it prepares to build the Cape Canaveral Next Generation Clean Energy Center, which will open in 2013.
FPL’s Next Generation Clean Energy Center will use about 33 percent less fuel per megawatt of power generated with advanced combined-cycle, natural gas technology capable of producing 1,250 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 250,000 homes and businesses. Three sleeker stacks, half as high as those taken down today, will emit 88 percent fewer air particulates and 50 percent less carbon dioxide without any additional water or land use. In addition, the site is designed to meet U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and to feature rooftop solar panels and an electric car recharging station.
"For 45 years, FPL's Cape Canaveral plant delivered reliable, affordable electricity to Space Coast customers, but with today's technology, we can do even better. Our Next Generation Clean Energy Center will benefit FPL customers for decades to come with improvements in efficiency, environmental performance and reliability," said FPL President and CEO Armando J. Olivera. "Compared with keeping the existing facility in the fleet, FPL estimates that this new unit will save customers hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the plant."
The Next Generation Clean Energy Center is expected to generate an additional $12 million in tax revenue in its first full year of operation: $5.3 million for Brevard County schools, $4.8 million for Brevard County; and $1.6 million for other taxing authorities.
"This FPL project is a perfect example of how making the energy infrastructure in Florida more advanced can add jobs and environmentally friendly solutions," said Incoming Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos. "We are in need of alternative energy legislation in Florida to bring even more efforts like this to reality."
The plant will create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs during the construction period.
“FPL’s demolition contractor has been very active in trying to use as many local resources as possible,” said Jack Rood, Brevard Workforce Development Board Chairman. “A third of the demolition team for this project is from the area. As the next phase gets under way, FPL’s construction contractor has demonstrated its commitment to matching the skills of local workers with project needs as much as possible.”
“This really is a great day for all of us in Brevard County and the district that have worked toward getting a newer more environmentally friendly energy center here,” said Maureen Rupe, president, Brevard Partnership for a Sustainable Future. “FPL has listened to our concerns and made extra efforts such as installing a temporary heating system so endangered manatees can stay warm during the winters before the new plant is online. They have shown a commitment to cleaner power generation and the environment.”
The Cape Canaveral Next Generation Clean Energy Center is another step FPL has taken on the Space Coast to provide cleaner energy to its customers. In April, FPL commissioned its Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center located on NASA property at Kennedy Space Center. The center is estimated to annually produce 10 megawatts of clean, emissions-free power, which is enough energy to serve approximately 1,100 homes.
FPL’s Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center is the second large-scale solar facility that FPL has completed in Florida. The first, FPL’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, the country’s largest solar PV facility at 25 megawatts, was commissioned in October 2009 by President Barack Obama. Later this year, FPL plans to open the world’s first hybrid solar thermal facility to connect to an existing fossil fuel plant, FPL’s Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Indiantown, Fla. It will be the largest of FPL’s solar facilities at 75 megawatts. In total, FPL’s three solar projects combined are creating more than 1,500 direct jobs and more than 5,000 total jobs for the state during the construction period.
Source: http://www.FPL.com/