News Releases

Cane Island Power Park Owners Host Community Picnic and Informational Open House

Neighbors invited to enjoy free lunch and learn more about the plant’s proposed expansion

ORLANDO, Fla., March 12, 2008 – Owners of the Cane Island Power Park announced they will host a community picnic and informational open house in Intercession City, Fla., site of a proposed power plant expansion.

Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) and Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) are hosting this free public event in northwest Osceola County to reach out to neighbors of the plant and provide information about the facility’s proposed expansion. The event will include a buffet luncheon catered by Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q and free entertainment by the Sunshine Gospel Singing Association.

The event will be held Saturday, April 5, 2008, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Intercession City Civic Center, located at 1531 Immocalee Street in Intercession City, Fla., approximately one mile from the plant site. Members of the public are invited to drop in any time during the two-hour event.

“Since its inception in 1995, the Cane Island Power Park has been a model for efficiency and environmental stewardship,” said KUA President and General Manager Jim Welsh. “We’re pleased to have this opportunity to meet with our neighbors and share our plans for the future of this important community resource.”

“As municipal electric utilities, both FMPA and KUA have a strong commitment to being good neighbors and good stewards of the community,” said FMPA General Manager and CEO Roger Fontes. “Meeting with the plant’s neighbors face-to-face will give us a chance to answer their questions and learn more about their perspectives.”

The 1,000-acre Cane Island Power Park is jointly owned by FMPA and KUA. The site is home to three existing power generators, the first of which began operating in 1995. FMPA and KUA are proposing to expand the facility with a new high-efficiency, natural gas-fueled combined cycle unit. The generator would be capable of generating 300 megawatts, enough electricity to serve approximately 60,000 homes in Florida.

FMPA’s long-term power supply plan indicates that additional generating capacity must be added by 2011 to ensure the supply of electricity will be adequate to meet the demand of the cities it serves. FMPA provides all the wholesale power needs of 15 cities, including the Central Florida communities of Kissimmee, Leesburg, Ocala and Bushnell, as well as Clewiston, Fort Meade, Fort Pierce, Green Cove Springs, Town of Havana, Jacksonville Beach, Key West, Lake Worth, Newberry, Starke and Vero Beach.

The proposed expansion at Cane Island was determined to be the best choice for the public and the environment. The plant will be fueled by clean-burning natural gas, using proven generating technology. It will be one of the cleanest and most efficient plants in Florida. Also, to conserve precious water resources, the power plant is designed to use treated wastewater. Sound and visual impacts will be minimal.

The project will also provide significant value to the local community. Construction will create up to 300 jobs at peak, and spending created by the project will benefit the local economy.

The April 5 open house is just one way that FMPA and KUA are communicating with the local community about the proposed unit. Other activities include e-newsletters, plant tours and information on the Web. To learn more about the proposed expansion, please visit FMPA’s Web site at caneisland.fmpa.com or call the project’s telephone hotline at (321) 239-1034.

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Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) is a wholesale power company owned by 30 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 2 million Floridians. FMPA’s members are Alachua, Bartow, Blountstown, 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.