Florida Power &amp Light Co. announced plans last week toaccelerate by one year an expansion of its power generating system.The expansion will take place in phases with the first phase beingcompleted in 2001. In total, the expansion will add 2,500 MW of newgas-fired generation capacity at three power plant locations overthe next eight years with the majority coming on line by 2003.

“Peak demand for electricity this summer exceeded last year’ssummer peak on 43 days,” FPL President Paul Evanson said. “FPL metthis demand, but it’s clear that a revised and more flexibleexpansion schedule is necessary.”

FPL plans to triple the capacity of its Fort Myers plant inSouthwest Florida, where demand is growing 40% faster than the restof its service territory. The Fort Myers project will provide 1,400MW of capacity when the repowered plant is fully operational at theend of 2001. The expanded plant will require a new 100-mile gastransmission pipeline, and FPL said it currently is negotiating aconstruction and supply contract with major pipeline and marketingcompanies. Two of six planned combustion turbines at Fort Myerswill be operational by winter of 2001. The other four turbines arescheduled to be operational during the summer of 2001, andremaining work will be completed by December.

The second site in FPL’s plan is the 933 MW Sanford plant. Anexpansion would include repowering two of its three oil- andgas-fired units by January 2003, with combustion turbines added inphases. The first of six turbines would enter service in early2002. FPL’s plan also recommends two gas-fired units by 2007 at theMartin County station, which currently operates two oil-fired andtwo gas- fired units. FPL said it has not completed calculations onthe additional gas supply that will be required following theexpansions, but a spokesman said the incremental supplyrequirements would be “significant.”

Rocco Canonica

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