FPL explains new site choice
Dec 08, 2012 (Menafn - Sun Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission quizzed Florida Power & Light Company officials Friday about sites the company had considered as possible locations for two new nuclear reactors but bypassed in favor of expanding its Turkey Point location.
Staff members for the commission believe three other sites -- in Glades, Martin and Okeechobee -- should be on "equal footing," said Alicia Williamson, NRC environmental project manager.
"It's very important for FPL to be able to explain our position," said Bill Maher, FPL's senior licensing director of new nuclear projects. The goal of Friday's meeting in Miami from FPL's perspective, he said, was to "come to know exactly what we need to provide in final form."
The NRC is reviewing an application Juno-based FPL submitted in 2009 seeking approval to build and operate two pressurized-water reactors at Turkey Point.
Peter Robbins, FPL spokesman, said Turkey Point was the company's preferred site for the new reactors for many reasons, including water availability. The other three sites are inland.
"The plan we have for the existing site would involve us taking reclaimed water, treated waste water, and using that for cooling," Robbins said. FPL would use up to 90 million gallons of reclaimed water a day from Miami-Dade County, he said.
The new reactors are projected to save customers 58 billion in fuel costs for 40 years, the life of the initial reactor, Robbins said. FPL has 2,565,000 customers in South Florida.
Still, nuclear-project costs have been controversial in recent years, at least in part because FPL is collecting money from customers for new reactors that likely will not start generating electricity for another decade. A zoning hearing for the project is set for Dec. 13 before the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.
Other FPL developments:
Also on Dec. 13, the Florida Public Service Commission is expected to vote on a controversial proposed settlement that would allow FPL to raise base electric rates by 378 million in January. FPL reached the settlement with large electricity customers, but the state Office of Public Counsel opposes the proposal.
FPL this month expects to ask for proposals from companies interested in building a major new pipeline that would stretch across the state. It would be slated to begin operating in 2017.
"Florida needs to continue to grow," Mike Sole, an FPL vice president, said Friday. "We need to continue to provide reliable electricity for that growth. This is one component of that."
The exact route remains unclear, but the project would involve two segments. A northern segment would stretch from a natural-gas supply hub in western Alabama across part of north Florida and then southeast into the Orlando area, where it would connect with other pipelines. A southern segment would go from the Orlando area to an FPL power plant in Martin County. The exact cost also remains unclear, though FPL officials say any costs would not be passed along to customers until after the pipeline goes into service in 2017.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Other FPL developments:
Also on Dec. 13 the Florida Public Service Commission is expected to vote on a controversial proposed settlement that would allow FPL to raise base electric rates by 378 million in January. FPL reached the settlement with large electricity customers, but the state Office of Public Counsel opposes the proposal.
FPL this month expects to ask for proposals from companies interested in building a major new pipeline that would stretch across the state. It would be slated to begin operating in 2017.
"Florida needs to continue to grow," Mike Sole, an FPL vice president, said Friday. "We need to continue to provide reliable electricity for that growth. This is one component of that."
The exact route remains unclear, but the project would involve two segments. A northern segment would stretch from a natural-gas supply hub in western Alabama across part of north Florida and then southeast into the Orlando area, where it would connect with other pipelines. A southern segment would go from the Orlando area to an FPL power plant in Martin County. The exact cost also remains unclear, though FPL officials say any costs would not be passed along to customers until after the pipeline goes into service in 2017.
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