Cape Canaveral Next Generation Clean Energy Center

Current Cape Canaveral Plant
Enlarge photo
Next Generation Clean Energy Center
Enlarge rendering
More information
	News
	What leaders are saying about the Cape Canaveral Energy Center
	E-mail Us

Overview:

FPL is modernizing the Cape Canaveral plant. The plant is scheduled for modernization into a Next Generation Clean Energy Center supporting our commitment to cleaner, more efficient generation. FPL has begun the process of removing the 1960s era units and replacing them with a new, state-of-the-art high-technology plant that will begin serving customers again in 2013 when it will return to service as a Next Generation Clean Energy Center. The plant site is located on 42 acres of flat, sandy area between Cocoa and Titusville, Fla. near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The site is bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway/Indian River and on the west by U.S. Highway 1. 

History:

The original Cape Canaveral power plant, Unit 1, started operating in 1965; Unit 2 followed in 1969. The plant was originally built to provide power for a growing region as well as the Kennedy Space Center.

Plant design:

• After the modernization is complete, the site will contain a high-technology combined-cycle natural gas unit.
• The plant will be capable of producing 1,250 megawatts of electricity or enough to power 250,000 homes and businesses.
• The design will have a sleeker profile, with stacks about half as tall.
  

Environmental benefits:

• The modernized plant will contribute to an improvement in air quality at the site due to a significant reduction in particulate emissions.
• The rate of carbon-dioxide emissions at the plant will improve by 50 percent or the equivalent of removing 46,000 cars from the road annually over the life of the plant, 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 featuring rooftop solar panels and an electric car recharging station.
• A temporary heating system to help manatees stay warm during the winter will be in place during the modernization. Once modernized, the plant’s warm water outfall will continue to provide a safe haven for the endangered species. 
  

Economic benefits:

• The modernized Next Generation Clean Energy Center will be considerably more efficient than the existing plant, using about 33 percent less fuel per megawatt of power generated.
• The plant will generate an additional $12 million in tax revenue in its first full year of operation: $5.3 million for Brevard County schools, $4.8 million for Brevard County; and $1.6 million for other taxing authorities.