EIA: Natural Gas Dominates Florida's Power Fuel Mix but Solar Gains Ground

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Over the past 20 years, natural gas-fired generation has increasingly accounted for most of the electricity generation in Florida, while coal-fired generation and oil-fired generation have declined, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Today in Energy report on Thursday.

In 2002, natural gas accounted for 31% of Florida's electricity generation, but by 2022, that share had grown to 75%, the EIA noted. This growth was supported by the installation of 26.8 gigawatts (GW) of new and advanced natural gas-fired capacity.

"Increases in Florida's natural gas-fired capacity have come about as older, less efficient coal-fired generators have retired," the EIA said. "Since 2002, 4.2 GW of coal-fired capacity has been taken offline--a 48% decrease in coal-fired capacity. As coal-fired power plants have retired, Florida's share of coal-fired generation has fallen from 33% in 2002 to 6% in 2022."

Oil-fired generation made up 17% of Florida's electricity generation in 2002, before falling to just 1% in 2022 as 6.5 GW of oil-fired capacity retired.

Solar's share of total generation in 2022 was 4%, according to the EIA. The first utility-scale solar power projects in the state started operating in 2009, and total capacity grew to 5.9 GW by the end of 2022.

"Going forward, planned plant additions and retirements from 2023 through 2026 will continue to change the generation mix in Florida," the EIA said. Announced natural gas capacity additions during this period total 1.8 GW, while solar capacity is expected to double to 11.6 GW, or 5.5 GW of new units. Announced coal retirements total 1 GW through 2026, which will decrease current operating coal-fired capacity to 3.5 GW.

Industrial Info is tracking 137 capital power projects in Florida, with a total investment value of $10.9 billion. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a list of detailed project reports. Solar power projects dominate the project landscape.

Click on the image at right for a graph showing Florida's power project investments by fuel type.

One of the largest solar projects currently under construction in Florida is Duke Energy Corporation's (NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina) 74.9-megawatt (MW) Winquepin Solar Plant in Madison County. Located on 530 acres, the project includes the installation of 159,362 solar panels. Construction began in the first quarter of this year and is expected to conclude by the end of December. M.A. Mortenson Company (Minneapolis, Minnesota) is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

In Riviera Beach, construction continues on the 74.5-MW Silver Palm Solar Energy Center project. Florida Power & Light Company (Juno Beach, Florida), is constructing the solar farm on 640 acres, utilizing 185,000 solar panels. The project's completion is planned for first-quarter 2024. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

Florida Power & Light, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach), also is at work on the 74.5-MW Ibis Solar Project in Palm Bay, Florida. The solar farm is being built on 630 acres and is planned for completion in the first quarter of 2024. Moss Solar (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is providing EPC services. Subscribers can click here for a project report.

Subscribers can click here for all project reports mentioned in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).