POWER September 2013 - 39

TOP PLANTS
the manatees in the Indian River Lagoon,
from which the old plant drew, and to which
it discharged, its cooling water. Ironically,
far from being a threat to the manatees, the
plant's presence attracted more and more of
the endangered animals to the lagoon because
of how its effluent raised water temperatures,
especially during the winter. But
with the old plant being shut down after 50
years, that source of warmth was going away.
And without some replacement, the manatees
would lose a critical winter refuge, and many
of them would likely die.
So in the fall of 2010, after the old plant
was torn down, FPL spent nearly $5 million
installing a system of pumps and heaters in
the lagoon to replace the lost effluent. FPL
worked with state and federal officials to
ensure the manatees would survive the threeyear
hiatus before the new plant came online.
The system worked as planned, with hundreds
of manatees clustering around the heaters
as they once did around the old plant's
outlet. The system surely averted a catastrophe
for the animals as temperatures plunged
to record lows that winter.
Zachry was chosen to deliver engineering,
procurement, and construction for the turnkey
facility, and construction began the following
April (Figure 1). At its peak, more than 650
jobs were created, approximately three-quarters
of which were filled by local workers.
Major equipment was in place in February
2012, and testing began in November. Commercial
operations began on April 24, 2013.
The project was completed for approximately
$900 million, about $140 million under budget
and more than a month ahead of schedule.
Key milestones are shown in Table 1.
Big Payoffs
FPL's drive to modernize its fleet isn't just
for show. Its investments in new combined
cycle gas plants since 2001 have cut its fuel
costs by more than $6 billion through 2012,
and all of those savings have been passed on
Table 1. Project timeline. Source:
FPL
Key milestones
Application to Florida Public Service
Commission
PSC approval
County approval
Final order received
Demolition of old plant
Groundbreaking
First turbine start
Commercial operation
September 2013 | POWER
Date
April 2008
September 2008
October 2008
October 2009
August 2010
April 2011
November 2012
April 2013
1. Big Iron. One the new plant's steam turbines is shown here ready for installation. Courtesy:
FPL
to its customers. The shift to natural gas has
also cut its oil use by 98%, to under 1 million
barrels annually.
In addition to significant fuel cost savings,
the upgrades have further improved
FPL's emissions profile, already among
the cleanest in the country. Other environmental
enhancements were also worked
into the project. The plant's administration
building employs rooftop solar panels and
is LEED certified. And like the old plant, it
will warm the lagoon with its cooling water
effluent, helping maintain the manatees'
winter sanctuary.
" It's fitting that this historic Cape Canaveral
site, which emerged to power American
innovation and leadership in the space race
more than half a century ago, will now be
using some of the most advanced generation
technology available, " FPL President
Eric Silagy said. " This plant uses 33% less
fuel to generate electricity, which will help
us keep our typical residential customer
bills the lowest in Florida and significantly
lower than the national average. It's an important
achievement for our company and
our state. "
The new plant is expected to deliver $15
million in tax revenue for local governments
and school districts. As part of a rate agreement
approved by the PSC in 2012, the average
net increase for FPL's customers to pay
for the plant will be about 16 cents a month,
as the cost of construction was largely offset
by significant fuel savings.
" We are excited to be a part of such a significant
program-especially with one of our
longest standing customers, " Zachry Executive
Vice President Keith Manning said. " Our
www.powermag.com
current project success with FPL has given
us a great understanding of the quality and
detail that they expect and we look forward
to a strong, continued partnership with FPL
and the communities they serve. "
Though the plant is now up and running,
FPL is not slowing down. A sister
facility, which Zachry is also building, is
currently going up in Riviera Beach and is
slated for operation late next year. In July,
FPL demolished another old plant north
of Miami, Port Everglades, to make way
for another new combined cycle facility
planned to begin construction in 2014 and
operations in 2016.
FPL also hasn't given up on getting a new
gas pipeline built into Florida. On July 26,
it announced a two-phase project that will
bring gas from Alabama to a new hub in Orlando
starting in 2016. The 465-mile Sabal
Trail project will be able to move more than 1
Bcf/d of natural gas to customers in Georgia
and Florida. The Central Florida Hub project
will connect to another new pipeline that
will supply up to 400 Mcf/d to FPL's Martin
hybrid combined cycle-concentrating solar
plant near Indiantown (another 2011 POWER
Top Plant).
The two projects should ease congestion
on gas imports into Florida. With only two
interstate pipelines supplying its gas, the
state-and FPL-are at risk of serious problems
should flow on one of them be interrupted.
That's a risk FPL wants to avoid with
so much of its fleet dependent on gas.
Certainly, the manatees would agree. ■
-Thomas W. Overton, JD is POWER's gas
technology editor. Follow Tom on Twitter
@thomas_overton.
39

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POWER September 2013

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