Florida Power & Light closes last coal-fired plant

Florida Power & Light Company formally closed its last coal-fired plant in Florida at the end of 2020.

The closure of the Indiantown Cogeneration plant, located in Martin County, marks the end of coal in FPL’s power plant operations. Also, Gulf Power, a division of FPL, ceased coal-fired power generation at its Plant Crist in Escambia County.

“This year marks a major milestone for our company and our customers as we generate electricity that is reliable, affordable, and cleaner than ever,” FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy said. “On Jan. 1, we closed the chapter on our use of coal as an energy source in Florida. It’s also important to note that 20 years ago, we were the country’s largest user of oil to generate electricity; however, by making smart, consistent, long-term investments in cleaner, state-of-the-art energy centers, we have lowered our oil use by 99% and use it only as a secondary fuel source. By eliminating our use of coal and effectively eliminating our use of oil, our customers now receive energy that is better for our environment and is reliable and much more affordable.”

Meanwhile, the company has constructed universal solar energy centers as a plan to install 30 million solar panels by 2030. Last month, five new solar energy centers, consisting of 1.4 million solar panels, went into operation. Further, the company is constructing the largest solar-integrated battery storage facility globally and a green hydrogen pilot project. FPL has saved customers nearly $11 billion in fuel costs and eliminating more than 145 million tons of CO2 emissions since 2001.

Florida Power & Light Company serves more than 5.6 million customer accounts supporting more than 11 million residents across Florida.