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New Power Plant in Fort Pierce Begins Commercial Operation
ORLANDO,
Fla., June 2, 2008– The Florida Municipal Power Agency’s
(FMPA) newest power plant, located in St. Lucie County, Fla.,
began serving electric customers Saturday, marking a new era
for FMPA.
“This
weekend we culminated more than four years of hard work and
proudly began operation of our first wholly owned generating
unit at a brand new power plant site,” said FMPA General
Manager and CEO Roger Fontes. “The successful completion
of this project exemplifies our commitment to provide reliable,
fuel efficient and environmentally friendly electricity to
our customers.”
Treasure
Coast Energy Center, a 300 megawatt natural gas-fired power
plant, will generate enough electricity to serve approximately
60,000 homes in the 15 cities served by FMPA’s All-Requirements
Project. Members of the project include Bushnell, Clewiston,
Fort Meade, Fort Pierce, Green Cove Springs, Havana, Jacksonville
Beach, Key West, Kissimmee, Lake Worth, Leesburg, Newberry,
Ocala, Starke and Vero Beach.
The
69-acre Treasure Coast Energy Center site is located in the
Midway Industrial Park, southwest of Fort Pierce, along Glades
Cut-Off Road. FMPA selected the plant’s location because
it is near several FMPA cities that are experiencing increased
demand for electricity. The plant location is also well-positioned
to avoid congestion on the state’s high-voltage electric
transmission system.
The
Power Plant Siting Board unanimously gave the project final
approval on May 16, 2006. Construction of the $273 million
project began in August 2006 and created approximately 300
construction jobs at the peak. The plant will employ 15 full-time
employees. Treasure Coast Energy Center is wholly owned by
FMPA’s All-Requirements participants, and it will be
operated under contract by Fort Pierce Utilities Authority
(FPUA).
Environmentally
Responsible
Treasure Coast Energy Center incorporates advanced environmental
control technologies, which makes the plant one of the lowest
emission and highest efficiency plants in Florida. Clean-burning
natural gas is the largest component of FMPA’s existing
fleet of generation. Natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel,
reduces overall emission levels and helps the environment
remain clean and healthy.
Modernizing
Our Fleet of Generation
Like cars, some power plants use fuel more efficiently than
others. And like cars, modernizing a fleet of power generating
resources increases fuel efficiency. Treasure Coast Energy
Center generates power 40% more efficiently than the generation
it will replace, which includes older units at the H.D. King
Plant located in Fort Pierce. This means the new plant uses
less fuel, creates fewer emissions per kilowatt hour and generates
more power than older, less efficient units.
With
development of the new plant, FPUA retired its H.D. King Plant.
The decommissioning ceremony of the plant was held May 29.
Demolition is expected to begin in early June, and the project
is expected to take approximately six months to complete.
“The
H.D. King Plant has served Fort Pierce and FMPA’s member
cities well over the years,” said FPUA Director of Utilities
Bill Thiess. “We are looking forward to FPUA’s
new role as operators of the Treasure Coast Energy Center.”
Treasure
Coast Energy Center will be formally dedicated Aug. 14 at
the plant site. The dedication ceremony is open to FMPA member
utilities, local dignitaries, invited guests and the media.
#
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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 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.
Media Contact:
Mark McCain
Assistant General Manager,
Public Relations and Human Resources
mark.mccain@fmpa.com
(407) 355-7767
FPUA Contact:
Levette Dixon
Communications Manager
ldixon@fpua.com
(772) 466-1600 Ext. 3070
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