FPL Moves Forward On New Broward Plant
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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/NSF) – Florida Power & Light is moving forward on seeking regulatory approvals for an estimated $888 million project to build a power plant in Broward County.
In a filing Monday with the state Public Service Commission, FPL said the 1,163-megawatt plant would replace two aging units at an FPL site in Dania Beach and that the new plant could start generating power by June 2022.
In the filing, FPL asked for an exemption to a rule that would require the utility to issue what is known as a "request for proposals" that could involve such things as looking at alternative sites. FPL, which has received such exemptions for past projects, pointed to factors such as its ownership of the site where the new plant would be built and already-existing infrastructure.
"Granting the exemption from the RFP process for the proposed project will facilitate timely dismantlement of the existing facility and construction of a highly efficient, reliable source of generating capacity at a critical location on FPL's system," the filing said. "It will serve the public welfare by allowing FPL to proceed more expeditiously with the project, which will achieve cleaner, more efficient power generation than the existing plant, a reduction in FPL's total air emissions and increased efficiency with which FPL utilizes natural gas as a fuel for generation on a system-wide basis, and the creation of new jobs and tax revenue for Florida's economy."
If the exemption is granted, FPL said the Public Service Commission would continue to be able to review the merits and costs of the project through a critical "determination of need" regulatory process. The utility said it expects to start that process as early as this fall.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
