As part of the agreement, the company will retire the two coal-fired units at the Crystal River energy complex in Citrus County after an advanced-design nuclear plant is built in Levy County. This is expected to reduce the company’s CO2 emissions by more than five million tons per year, which is equivalent to removing more than 830,000 vehicles from Florida’s roads, claims the company.
It is also pursuing energy efficiency, investing in renewable energy resources and developing advanced transportation technologies, such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Under the agreement, Progress Energy Florida will retire its Crystal River units One and Two, after the second unit at the Levy County site completes its first fuel cycle. Exisiting plans call for the second unit to come on line in the 2017 time frame, and the first fuel cycle to be complete around 2020.
The agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) also allows the company’s $1.3 billion investment in air emission-reduction equipment to stay on track despite uncertainty surrounding the federal Clean Air Interstate Rule. Progress Energy Florida will complete and operate the air emission controls already under construction at its Crystal River units Four and Five.
