State asks for details on FPL coal plant

State asks for details on FPL coal plant

The state environmental protection agency has sent Florida Power & Light Co.’s application to build an advanced-technology “clean coal” plant in Glades County back to the utility, saying it needs more information on things such as a construction schedule, pollution-control equipment and how it will deal with landfill waste.

At the same time, FPL told state utility regulators Thursday it needs to build such a plant by 2012 to maintain a reliable power system.

If the plant is not approved and another one cannot be built, FPL’s margin of reserve power would shrink to 14.8 percent during the summer in 2013 and 13 percent in 2014, according to documents filed with the Florida Public Service Commission.

The preferred reserve margin is 20 percent.

“The need for the project is compelling,” FPL’s petition said.

The PSC filing, as well as the Jan. 31 letter from the Department of Environmental Protection, is part of the yearlong approval process that ends with the governor and Cabinet.

“These are such big, comprehensive applications that it’s very normal that sometimes we need additional information on parts,” said Sarah Williams, a spokeswoman for the DEP.

Florida Power & Light, owned by FPL Group Inc. (NYSE: FPL, $57.45) of Juno Beach, has 30 days to respond to questions or clarify information.

“It’s very typical at this stage of the process to have a very lengthy list of what’s now called completeness questions,” said Barbara Linkiewicz, FPL’s director of environmental licensing.

FPL wants to build the plant on 4,900 acres of sugar cane land near Moore Haven.

The first unit of the plant – which would use “ultra super critical pulverized coal” technology – would open in 2012.

The second would open a year later.

Environmental advocates have been pushing FPL to build what’s known as a gasified coal plant, arguing it would emit fewer pollutants, including carbon dioxide, the chief contributor to global warming.

Regulators will take up the issue in a couple of months.

They can either approve or deny FPL’s petition, PSC spokesman Anthony DeLuise said Thursday.

Source: www.palmbeachpost.com

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