US-based energy company US EcoGen is set to construct three biomass plants in the state of Florida with a total capacity of 180MW.
The three biomass facilities are planned in Okeechobee, Clay, and Martin Counties.
The company expects that the power produced from these plants will cater to the energy requirements of 30,000 to 50,000 homes in the state.
Meanwhile, it has secured the approval of the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) for its 30-year power purchase contracts with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL).
Commenting on the alliance, PSC chairman Ronald A. Brisé remarked that the contracts would provide job opportunities, save customers’ money, besides diversifying the state’s fuel supply.
"System reliability will also be enhanced, and the contracts help defer the need to construct additional plants generated by fossil fuels," Brisé.
The company asserted that the plants will save nearly $90m of FPL’s customers over the plant lifetime. In addition, each plant will provide 140 direct and indirect jobs.