| 
News
Releases
Governor and Cabinet Approve FMPA's Power Plant for Construction
ORLANDO, Fla., May 16, 2006 - Florida Governor Jeb Bush
and the Florida Cabinet, sitting as the Power Plant Siting
Board, unanimously approved Florida Municipal Power Agency's
(FMPA) proposal to construct a natural gas-fired power plant
in St. Lucie County, Fla., near the city of Fort Pierce.
"This power plant is essential to supply the electric
needs of our customers, so we appreciate the Siting Board's
approval and the approvals we received at the state and local
levels," said FMPA General Manager and CEO Roger Fontes. "Through
the rigorous one-year approval process, we showed that this
plant best serves the public's interest by being the most
cost-effective option with minimal environmental impact."
FMPA is a wholesale power agency owned by municipal electric
utilities in Florida. Power from the proposed facility, known
as the Treasure Coast Energy Center, will serve electric
customers in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Lake Worth and Clewiston,
along with the cities of Bushnell, Fort Meade, Green Cove
Springs, Town of Havana, Jacksonville Beach, Key West, Kissimmee,
Leesburg, Newberry, Ocala and Starke.
FMPA will build a high-efficiency, natural gas-fired unit
that will generate 300 Megawatts, enough electricity to serve
approximately 60,000 homes in Florida. This power plant,
with its advanced environmental control technologies, will
be one of the lowest emission plants in Florida and one of
the highest efficiency plants in the state.
The 69-acre Treasure Coast Energy Center site is located
in the Midway Industrial Park, southwest of Fort Pierce,
along Glades Cut-Off Road. This industrial area was previously
approved for a power plant project. The FMPA site has also
been identified for up to three similar units in the future,
subject to issuance of required approvals.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall, creating
up to 300 construction jobs at the peak. Construction is
expected to take two years. Unit 1 is scheduled to begin
operation in 2008, at which time it will employ 16 full-time
operators.
Treasure Coast Energy Center will be wholly owned by FMPA,
but it will be operated under contract by Fort Pierce Utilities
Authority. FMPA selected the plant's location because it
is near several FMPA cities that are experiencing increased
demand for electricity. The proposed plant location is also
well-positioned to avoid congestion on the state's high-voltage
electric transmission system.
"We believe Treasure Coast Energy Center is a positive
addition to our community," said Elie J. Boudreaux III,
director of utilities for Fort Pierce Utilities Authority. "Treasure
Coast will be the future of our power generation for Fort
Pierce, and we will retire the King Plant in downtown Fort
Pierce."
Electricity from the new facility is needed to support the
increasing electricity usage of communities in the Treasure
Coast area and throughout Florida, to replace power purchase
contracts that are due to expire and to displace the use
of older, less efficient generation.
More information about Treasure Coast Energy Center is available
on FMPA's Web site at www.fmpa.com.
# # #
Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) is a wholesale power
company owned by 29 municipal electric utilities. FMPA provides
economies of scale in power generation and related services
to support community-owned electric utilities. The members
of FMPA serve approximately 1.8 million Floridians. FMPA's
members include Alachua, Bartow, Bushnell, Chattahoochee,
Clewiston, Fort Meade, Fort Pierce, Gainesville, Green Cove
Springs, Havana, Homestead, Jacksonville Beach, Key West,
Kissimmee, Lake Worth, Lakeland, Leesburg, Moore Haven, Mount
Dora, New Smyrna Beach, Newberry, Ocala, Orlando, Quincy,
St. Cloud, Starke, Vero Beach, Wauchula and Williston. Additional
information is available on the Internet at www.fmpa.com.
FMPA Contact:
Mark McCain
Assistant General Manager,
Public Relations and Human Resources
(407) 355-7767
|
