 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
New power plant for St. Petersburg?By LOUIS HAU, Times Staff Writer© St. Petersburg Times published March 3, 2003 Is Progress Energy Florida Inc. planning to build a new power plant in the Tampa Bay area? It seems so, judging from remarks made last week by Robert McGehee, president and chief operating officer of Progress Energy Inc., the St. Petersburg utility's corporate parent. During a presentation at Progress' meeting for analysts in Boca Raton, McGehee outlined the company's plans to increase generating capacity in Florida during the next three years. In addition to two new generating units at the company's Hines facility in Polk county, the company "will add . . . a peaking plant, probably in the St. Petersburg area," McGehee said. The two Hines units, which will generate a combined 1,035 megawatts, have been approved by the Florida Public Service Commission. Given that McGehee showed a slide which projected Florida generating-capacity additions for 2003 through 2005 would total 1,190 megawatts, the peaking plant -- a power plant that's fired up only during periods of peak demand -- apparently would generate about 155 megawatts. That would be large enough to require Progress to take outside bids on the construction of the plant. But Progress Energy Florida spokeswoman Carla Groleau downplayed McGehee's remarks, saying, "They're really just discussing it at this point. . . . There's nothing really to tell, nothing's been decided."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times Business report
From the AP
|
