Port Everglades Smokestacks Toppled on Schedule
Florida Power & Light Company demolished the 350-foot-tall quartet and 7,500-ton boilers at the plant on July 16.
A Florida Power & Light Company official on July 16 pushed the detonator that started a controlled explosion that demolished four red-and-white-striped, 350-foot-tall smokestacks and 7,500-ton boilers at its Port Everglades Power Plant in Hollywood, Fla., right on schedule.
The rubble will be cleared to make way for a high-efficiency power plant that burns natural gas and will run on 35 percent less fuel. The existing plant was built in the 1960s.
"This important investment has received broad support from the community, environmentalists, business leaders, and Florida Public Service Commission -- all of whom recognize the significant benefits, including fuel savings, reliability, reduced emissions, job creation, and increased tax revenue for the local community," said FPL President Eric Silagy. "We're excited to take another step toward making us more energy independent than ever before."
FPL reports the new plant will cut the carbon dioxide emissions rate in half when compared with the current plant and will reduce air emissions by more than 90 percent, equivalent to removing about 46,000 cars from the road each year. The project will create an estimated 650 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs during the height of construction. The plant is projected to begin commercial operation in June 2016.
For a video showing the explosion, visit www.FPL.com/Port.
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts, with approximately 10,000 employees at the end of 2012.