On July 16, 2013, we demolished our 1960s-era Port Everglades Power Plant and in its place we built a new, more fuel efficient plant that runs on clean, low-cost American produced natural gas. The new power plant:
This FPL plant runs on 35 percent less fuel, which helps keep customer bills low. The improved fuel efficiency means the plant saves hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel costs – a savings that FPL passes along to customers, dollar for dollar. Investments in more efficient power plants are one reason FPL’s typical residential customer bill is significantly lower than the national average and the lowest of all 55 electric utilities in Florida.
Building clean energy plants that use domestic energy sources, like natural gas, is also helping FPL reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. Since 2001, the company has dramatically slashed its use of foreign oil by 98 percent – from more than 40 million barrels to less than 1 million barrels in 2012.
The new FPL plant produces much cleaner energy and improves our environment. Because of the latest technology, the plant cuts the carbon dioxide emissions rate in half and reduces overall air emissions by more than 90 percent, which is like taking 46,000 cars off I-95 each year.
Economic Impact
This investment boosted the economy by creating jobs and generating additional tax revenue for local communities. The project created roughly 650 direct jobs during the height of construction, and supports many local businesses. In the first full year of operation, the plant will deliver approximately $20 million in new tax revenue annually to local governments and schools such as the City of Hollywood, Broward County and Broward County Public Schools.