TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Electric on Thursday received approval from Gov. Ron DeSantis to convert one of its coal-fired generators to a natural gas system at the Big Bend power station.
The company said the modernization aims to reduce TECO's reliance on coal. It is expected to begin construction next month.
"This project will improve the land, water and air emission at Big Bend," TECO President and CEO Nancy Tower said. "This project will save our customers money, and, coupled with our significant increase in solar power, will make Tampa Electric substantially cleaner and greener than it is today."
The approval means the Big Bend power station can convert Unit 1 to natural gas and retire Unit 2. Unit 2 is the site where five workers were killed in 2017.
While TECO says the move to natural gas is part of the company's goal to reduce its carbon footprint. However, environmental groups like the Sierra Club in Florida have said the conversion is just replacing one dirty fossil fuel with another.
On its website, the Sierra Club said while natural gas does burn cleaner than coal and other fossil fuels, it's still a fossil fuel. The organization said fracking natural gas and transporting it "causes significant damage to communities and ecosystems."
The Sierra Club said fracking and burning natural gas is still a significant source of carbon dioxide and methane pollution.
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), on July 19 sent a letter to DeSantis urging the state government to do a more thorough review of the TECO Big Bend Fracked Gas Plant Expansion.
Castor also called natural gas a "different dirty fuel source" and said policymakers and TECO should focus on finding clean energy solutions and conservation initiatives.
By retiring one of its coal-fired units, TECO said it will reduce the site's coal emissions by 50 percent. The conversion of the unit is expected to be completed by 2023.
When the project is complete, TECO will generate 75 percent of its energy from natural gas and 12 percent from coal, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Another 7 percent will come from solar, and 6 percent will come from other sources like oil.
Even with the conversion to natural gas, doctors warn air pollution and other environmental factors can still pose a risk to those living nearby.
TECO said it has not contracted for the natural gas yet, and right now, all the natural gas it gets is fracked from outside the state.
Environmentalists warn TECO’s 10-year plan shows the company will be burning just as much coal in a decade as it is today. TECO says this is because of population growth estimates.
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