TAMPA, Fla. — MacDill Air Force Base held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning officially marking the start of construction for a new power plant.
Tampa Electric is working on the power plant for the military base which officials say will improve efficiency for the growing community in Tampa.
The new power plant will allow the military base to "operate independently from the broader electricity grid in times of emergency," leaders with MacDill explain in a news release.
According to the Air Force base, there are many benefits stemming from this new power station, including:
- Minimizing MacDill’s dependence on the rest of the electric grid, increasing the base’s energy security.
- Less vulnerability to disruptions caused by natural disasters, cyberattacks or other events.
- The ability to maintain critical military operations and further enhance personnel safety.
Day-to-day, the power station will serve TECO customers. They will see a boost to their own energy supply with the new addition, as well.
This new power station will reduce the strain on the grid caused by high demand. Other ways the new power plant will benefit the community include:
- Further insulating customers from extreme hot and cold weather, which increases energy demand, straining the grid
- The smaller size and agility of this power plant will allow Tampa Electric to provide a quick and efficient energy boost to the grid as a complement to intermittent energy sources
- Adding this small, agile natural gas-fueled power station to address upward fluctuations in energy demand will allow Tampa Electric’s larger power stations to operate more efficiently, reducing carbon emissions
"The South Tampa Resiliency Project is not just another power plant," TECO CEO Archie Collins said at the ceremony. "It is a testament to unity and a shared vision....ensuring that our grid remains just as reliable – if not more reliable – in the future."