The End is Near for Port Everglades Smokestacks
Florida Power & Light Company announced it will demolish the 350-foot-tall quartet and 7,500-ton boilers at the plant on July 16.
Keep an eye on YouTube July 16 for official or amateur videos of a demolition project in Florida. The Florida Power & Light Company announced June 12 that the four red-and-white-striped, 350-foot-tall smokestacks and 7,500-ton boilers at its Port Everglades Power Plant in Hollywood, Fla., will be demolished July 16 to make way for a high-efficiency power plant that burns natural gas. The existing plant was built in the 1960s.
"This important investment has received broad support from the community, environmentalists, business leaders, and Florida Public Service Commission -- all of whom recognize the significant benefits, including fuel savings, reliability, reduced emissions, job creation, and increased tax revenue for the local community," said FPL President Eric Silagy. "We're excited to take another step toward making us more energy independent than ever before."
FPL reports the new plant will cut the carbon dioxide emissions rate in half when compared with the current plant and will reduce air emissions by more than 90 percent, equivalent to removing about 46,000 cars from the road each year. The project will create an estimated 650 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs during the height of construction. The plant is projected to begin commercial operation in June 2016.
For more information, visit www.FPL.com/Port.
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts, with approximately 10,000 employees at the end of 2012.