Cape Canaveral Next Generation Clean Energy Center
History:
The original Cape Canaveral power plant Unit 1 started operating in 1965 followed by Unit 2 in 1969. The plant is capable of producing electricity by burning either gas or oil. The generating capacity at the site is 800 megawatts. Cape Canaveral was originally conceived to provide power for a growing region as well as the Space Center.
Project site:
The plant site is located on 42 acres of flat, sandy area between Cocoa and Titusville, Florida. The site is bounded on the east by the Intracoastal Waterway/ Indian River and on the west by U.S. 1. Across the river from the plant is the Kennedy Space Center.
Plant design:
- After the modernization is complete, the site will contain a high-technology combined cycle natural gas unit.
- The unit will produce approximately 1,250 megawatts of electricity or enough to power 250,000 homes and businesses.
- The new design will have a sleeker profile, with stacks about half as tall.
Economic benefits:
- The modernized energy centers proposed for Riviera Beach and Cape Canaveral will be considerably more efficient than the existing facilities, using at least 33 percent less fuel to produce the same amount of power.
- The combined savings to customers will be about $450 million.
- The project will generate an additional $12 million in tax revenue in its first full year of operation alone. That translates into $5.3 million for Brevard County schools; $4.8 million for Brevard County; and $1.6 million for other taxing authorities.
Environmental benefits:
- The modernized units will contribute to an improvement in air quality at these sites by reducing particulate emissions by 88 percent.
- The rate of carbon dioxide emissions at the energy centers will improve by 50 percent.
- That translates into a CO2 reduction of 900,000 tons in the first year alone, or the equivalent of removing 200,000 cars from the road, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- The primary water source for the cooling system will be the Intracoastal Waterway/ Indian River just as it is today.
- The office building at the site will feature rooftop solar panels and will be certified as environmentally sustainable under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.
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