Florida Power and Light chooses four new solar plant locations

Florida Power and Light (FPL) has officially selected four locations for a series of new solar energy plants to be built across the state by mid-2019.

The new plants will be located in St. Lucie County, Miami-Dade County, Volusia County and Columbia County. Each will boast 74.5-megawatt capacities with enough combined energy to power approximately 60,000 homes and generate an estimated $40 million in savings. Construction will begin later this year.

“With the support of communities across the state, we are advancing smart, affordable clean energy infrastructure while keeping customer bills low,” Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL, said. “These plants are another step forward in our ongoing strategy of making smart investments to better serve our customers now and in the future.”

FPL also announced plans to expand its Solar Sanctuary partnership with Audubon Florida at these new facilities. That program couples solar plants with environmental stewardship efforts, guaranteeing uninterrupted acreage for native plant, bird and pollinator habitats. In recent years the company has also been retiring coal plants even as it builds new solar plants.

Furthering this cleaner shift is the announcement that FPL’s proposed Dania Beach Clean Energy Center has received Public Service Commission approval. FPL said its creation will help reduce the company’s overall use of natural gas and cut primary air emissions by 70 percent when compared against the existing power plant. It is expected to generate around 1,200 megawatts beginning in mid-2022.