Florida Utility Seeking Nuclear-Plant Approval

Saying it wants to keep its options for meeting future power demand open, Miami-based FPL has begun seeking approval to build a nuclear generating station on its Turkey Point facility near Key Largo, in southeast Miami-Dade County. The approval process could take up to 12 years.

FPL currently operates two 1970s-era nuclear generators at Turkey Point, along with two oil-or-gas plants and a natural-gas plant. Utility officials say they need to expand generating capacity by a third to meet anticipated 2020 electricity demands.

The 11,000-acre Turkey Point campus was considered remote when the first two generators went into service, according to a report in the Florida Keys Keynoter, but South Florida’s population has expanded significantly in the intervening years. However, the existing infrastructure at the Turkey Point site, along with trained local staff, make the location attractive to the utility.

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