Dive Brief:
- Duke Energy Florida has proposed building of a state-of-the-art, highly efficient combined-cycle natural gas plant and two simple-cycle combustion turbine generators and retrofitting another site along with the retiring of two coal-fired units.
- The EPA regulations-driven retirement of coal-fired units 1 and 2 at the Crystal River Energy Complex will take place when the 1,640-megawatt, $1.5 billion, combined-cycle natural gas plant goes into service in 2018.
- The two simple-cycle combustion turbines will cost $197 million and provide 320 megawatts of reserve generation capacity and go into service in 2016 to increase grid reliability and streamline renewables integration.
Dive Insight:
The new combined cycle gas plant will be adjacent to the Crystal River Energy Complex site where the coal-fired plants will be retired. Construction is expected to start in 2016, provide 600 to 700 jobs and add several million dollars to the local tax base. The new plant will receive natural gas through a new pipeline being built by Sabal Trail Transmission that will run from Alabama, through Georgia to Central Florida.
For the retrofit of four combined-cycle power blocks at the Hines Energy Complex, to be completed by 2017, Duke will spend $160 million to install inlet air chilling units that will, through increased efficiency, up the power output of the 1,912 megawatt complex by 220 megawatts.
