Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) has formally commissioned the new 1,277MW Port Everglades next generation clean energy centre (PEEC) near Fort Lauderdale in Broward County, Florida, US.
The Port Everglades power plant has been developed to replace the 1960s-era, oil-fired power plant, which was demolished by FPL in mid-2013.
FPL expects that the new $1.2bn fuel-efficient plant, which uses 35% less fuel per megawatt-hour, to provide $400m in fuel and other savings to customers during its 30 year operation.
FPL president and CEO Eric Silagy said: "The Port Everglades Next Generation Clean Energy Center is yet another demonstration of our commitment to dramatically reducing our dependence on foreign oil, while at the same time, delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy for our customers.
"This facility is the equivalent of taking a car from the 1960s and replacing it with a hybrid, which is more fuel efficient and produces less emission.
"This energy center is one more example of how the nearly 9,000 employees of FPL are working hard each and every day to ensure our customers benefit from electric bills that are among the lowest in the state and 30% below the national average."
Capable of generating electricity required to power approximately 260,000 homes and businesses, the new facility features three 250MW combustion turbine generators, a 500MW steam turbine generator, three heat recovery steam generators with selective catalytic reduction reactors and three 149ft exhaust stacks.
The facility will contribute to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan 2030 target. The plan envisages carbon emission reductions from power plants by 870 million tons or 32% below 2005 levels in 2030.
Image: The Port Everglades next generation facility replaces a 1960s-era, oil-fired power plant. Photo: courtesy of Florida Power & Light Company.