U.S. Southeast Plans More than $2 Billion in Third-Quarter Power-Generation Project Starts

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking more than $2 billion in planned third-quarter 2023 power-generation project starts in the U.S. Southeast market region, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Florida and Alabama lead all states in terms of the overall investment, and $1.6 billion of the spend is attributed to solar power.

Click on the image at right for a graph showing planned third-quarter power-generation project starts in the U.S. Southeast region, by state.

Florida ranks third among all U.S. states in terms of installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association's data as of first-quarter 2023, although solar accounts for 5.75% of the state's electricity mix, the SEIA says.

The state accounts for nearly $800 million in power-generation project starts planned for the third quarter, according to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database, with solar accounting for $708 million of the spend.

Subscribers to the GMI database can click here for a full list of the Florida projects.

Nearly all of Florida's project activity is attributed to small-scale solar projects, all of which are expected to provide 74.5 megawatts (MW) of generation, from NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) and its subsidiary Florida Power & Light Company (FPL).

These projects include the proposed $103 million Silver Palm Solar Energy Center in Riviera Beach and the $100 million Ibis solar plant in Palm Bay, both of which are expected to utilize about 200 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. Subscribers can read detailed reports for the Silver Palm and Palm Bay projects.

Other NextEra projects include the Canoe Solar Energy Center in Holt and the Big Juniper Creek Solar Energy Center in Milton, both of which have an investment value of $85 million. Kimley-Horn and Associates Incorporated (Raleigh, North Carolina) is expected to provide consulting services for the Big Juniper project. Subscribers can read more information in the Canoe and Big Juniper project reports. All four projects are expected to wrap up in March of next year.

Meanwhile, the two highest-valued third-quarter generation project starts are in Mississippi and Alabama, although the SEIA notes they rank 36th and 28th in U.S. installed solar capacity, respectively. Energias du Portugal's (EDP) (Lisbon, Portugal) 175-MW, $235 million Pearl River solar plant in Ludlow, Mississippi is expected to wrap up in November 2024. According to the EDP website, it would be the largest solar park by generation capacity in Mississippi. Click here for a detailed project report.

In Alabama, U.S. federally owned electric utility Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Knoxville, Tennessee) expects to begin construction of the North Alabama solar plant in Hillsboro, in September. The plant would provide 200 MW of solar generation by utilizing PV solar panels on a single-axis tracking system. The addition of a battery-energy storage system unit also is expected to kick off in the third quarter; both projects are expected to be completed in June 2024. Click here for more information.

The TVA provides power in seven states, including most of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. In a January press release, the utility said it plans to add 10,000 MW of solar energy by 2035.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed 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 over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).