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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Duke Energy Opens Natural Gas Electric Energy Facilities in Citrus County, Florida

12/02/2018
Duke Energy's 1.8 million customers in The Sunshine State are now receiving 1,640 megawatts of cleaner-burning, highly efficient energy from the company's new state-of-the-art combined-cycle natural gas plant in Citrus County, Florida.

"The high-tech facility represents a $1.5 billion investment in Citrus County, surrounding communities and Florida – underscoring our continued commitment to our customers and the environment," said Jeff Swartz, Vice President of Fossil/Hydro Operations in Florida. "The station will provide a smarter energy future for Floridians by generating cleaner, more efficient energy."

The new station will replace generation from plant retirements, including two 1960s-era coal-fired units and a nuclear plant. According to Duke Energy, the station started serving customers in two phases. The first 820-megawatt power block started running Oct. 26, and the second 820-megawatt power block came online Nov. 24.

The new Citrus combined-cycle natural gas station is co-located at the 5,100-acre Crystal River Energy Complex on Florida's Gulf Coast about 85 miles north of Tampa. The complex is also home to two operating coal-fired units, two soon-to-be retired coal-fired units, a decommissioning nuclear plant and a mariculture center that grows and releases fish into Gulf of Mexico waters.

The new station receives natural gas through the new 515-mile Sabal Trail pipeline. The $3.2 billion pipeline starts in Alabama, extends through Georgia and ends in central Florida. Duke Energy is a 7.5-percent owner of the pipeline.

The Citrus station has two power blocks, each with two combustion turbines and one steam generator, providing the latest technology with a proven performance.

Megawatts from the new station combined with the two operating coal-fired units make the Crystal River Energy Complex Duke Energy's largest generator in Florida, producing more than 3,000 megawatts of energy. One megawatt powers about 800 average homes.

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