Tampa Electric outlines its vision for net zero carbon emissions
Tampa Electric has outlined its vision to achieve net zero carbon emissions from its power plants by 2050.
To reach the goal, Tampa Electric will focus on several areas. For starters, it will increase the use of zero/low-carbon technologies to expand renewable energy capabilities. Investing in emerging technologies — including carbon capture, biofuels, hydrogen, wind turbines, and battery storage — may be components of its future energy portfolio. Also, the company is piloting new concepts like a plug-and-play microgrid system that delivers resilient, renewable energy at the community level. Tampa Electric will continue to partner with the University of South Florida to develop innovative technologies and new ideas to help achieve the net-zero vision.
Further, the company will continue to improve its existing power stations, introducing new technology into its generating fleet to better accommodate a future with zero or low-carbon fuels. It will continue to transition power stations away from coal, like Big Bend’s Unit 1, which will become a combined-cycle natural gas unit, capable of producing 1,090 megawatts of electricity. Modernizing power plants improves fuel generation efficiency, which lowers fuel costs for customers and lowers emissions.
“Tampa Electric has a long legacy of environmental leadership, and now we’re taking it even further,” Archie Collins, president and CEO of Tampa Electric, said. “Achieving this vision will require partnership – with our customers, the electric industry, and stakeholders – to improve the planet for our children and their children. We are taking a thoughtful approach, and we commit to keep affordability and reliability at the forefront of every decision along this path.”
Since 2000, Tampa Electric has reduced coal usage by more than 90 percent and cut carbon dioxide emissions in half. It has installed more than 650 megawatts (MW) of solar.
“There is no more important partner than TECO in the City of Tampa’s commitment to a greener, more sustainable community,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. “Today, the City of Tampa, TECO, and the University of South Florida are taking a big step on the path to cleaner energy. We plan to continue finding unique partnership opportunities and invest city resources to advance in clean energy technology and climate-ready infrastructure.”
Tampa Electric also has interim goals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent below 2000 levels by 2025 and 80 percent by 2040.
“Tampa Electric and EEI’s other member electric companies are leading a clean energy transformation,” Edison Electric Institute President Tom Kuhn said. “As an industry, we are working to get the energy we provide as clean as we can as fast as we can while maintaining the reliability and affordability that are essential to the customers and communities we serve. We understand the vital role that reliable, affordable, secure, and resilient clean energy plays in achieving net-zero emissions across the U.S. economy, and I commend Tampa Electric for your announcement and your ongoing commitment to deliver a clean energy future.”
The commitment aligns with that of its parent company, Emera Inc., which also has a goal for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
