Environmental Benefits

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Building additional nuclear energy at the existing Turkey Point site would allow us to leverage current resources since the existing site is well-integrated into the community. It would minimize impact to non-developed areas and would build on current environmental benefits while maintaining FPL’s commitment to protecting South Florida’s unique environment. If built, the new nuclear project would:

• Avoid 266 million tons of CO2 emissions over the first 40 years of operation that is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the road every year
• Minimize further impact on resources by using an existing generation center
• Continue to maintain significant habitat for wildlife and wetlands
  • More than 5,000 acres are used as a haven for unique plant species and endangered or threatened birds and animals, including the American crocodile, which was recently removed from the endangered list as a result of our success with hatchlings at the site
• Use cooling towers to further reduce the amount of cooling water required
  • The new units would not use the cooling canal system that is currently used by the existing nuclear units at the Turkey Point site
  • Cooling towers are already successfully used in the newest combined-cycle gas plant at Turkey Point
• Recycle wastewater allowing Miami-Dade County to cost-effectively meet goals
  • Water management project is proposed within the mitigation plan that provides water storage for associated environmental restoration projects
  • Provides approximately 75 percent of required fill for foundation of facility cost-effectively
  • Project identified in collaboration with several agencies and is in line with future land-use planning

•  Further the objectives of ecosystem restoration in the region through a number of associated environmental enhancement projects