Florida Nuclear Industry
Contribution of Nuclear Power
As of January 1, 2005, Florida ranked 12th among the 31 States with nuclear capacity.
Although the energy market of each State is unique, Florida is especially complex. Coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower accounted for nearly 95 percent of the Nation's electricity in 2004, but Florida doesn't always follow national trends. One fifth of Florida's electricity came from other sources (see table). Two thirds of the 21 percent output represented by this miscellaneous category was supplied by petroleum liquids. Of the remaining 7 percent, the largest single supplier was petroleum coke. Although petroleum coke accounted for only three percent of Florida's electricity, this represented one third of all the U.S. electricity generated by petroleum coke. Bordered on three sides by water, the Sunshine State does not have significant hydro electric output. Natural gas accounted for 36 percent of Florida's electricity generation in 2004, a significant increase over 2003. It remains to be seen whether this increase reflects a trend towards gas or difficulties currently being experienced with coal distribution. All of the Florida reactors received license extensions from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), so nuclear output is not likely to drop significantly for at least a decade. But, in the absence of plans or proposals for construction of new reactors, it seems unlikely that nuclear output will increase substantially either.
| Electricity Market in Florida (Percent Generated by Fuel) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Coal | Natural Gas |
Hydro | Nuclear | Other |
|
2004*
|
29
|
36
|
**
|
15
|
21
|
|
2003
|
31
|
32
|
**
|
15
|
22
|
|
2002
|
30
|
32
|
**
|
17
|
21
|
| Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator
Report" *Total exceed 100 percent due to independent rounding **Less than 1 percent | |||||
| Nuclear Power Generation in Florida, 1975 through 2004 Million Kilowatt Hours |
 |
| Sources: Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-906, Power Plant Report, and predecessor forms. |
Florida Nuclear Highlights
- Turkey Point ranks 52nd on the National Energy Information Center's list of the 100 Largest Utility Plants in the United States (based on 2003 data). BUT Turkey Point has both nuclear and fossil fuel generating units.
- In 2002, Florida's nuclear power plants generated 33,704,230 megawatt hours of electricity, a new State record.
- There are no pending applications for up rates of capacity at Florida nuclear power plants. Up rates were approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for St. Lucie in the 1980's and Turkey Point in the 1990's. More information on up rates is available on the NRC web site.
Florida Nuclear Industry
| Nuclear Power Plants in Florida Net Generation and Capacity, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant Name | Nuclear Units | Capacity Net MW(e) |
Share of State Nuclear Generation (percent) |
Operator/Owner |
| Crystal River | Unit 3 | 842 | 21 | Florida Power Corporation/ Progress Energy |
| St. Lucie | Unit 1, Unit 2 | 1,678 | 43 | Florida Power & Light (FPL)/FPL and various others |
| Turkey Point | Unit 3, Unit 4 | 1,386 | 36 | FPL/same |
| Total | 5 Units | 3,906 | -- | -- |
| Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-906, "Power Plant Report. *Total does not equal 100 due to independent rounding | ||||
International Atomic Energy Agency PRIS file, Operating History, contains data on load factor, availability factor, historical output, and more.
License Renewal
On June 6, 2002, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a renewed license to the Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, for both units 3 and 4. On October 2, 2003, the NRC approved the license renewal application for units 1 and 2 at the St. Lucie nuclear power plant.
Information on the current status of all license renewal applications appears on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov. To locate the data, select "index,"then select the letter "l" and click on "License Renewal.".
Air Quality in Florida
Of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the electric industry of the State of Florida ranked 2nd highest in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2004. The State's electric industry ranks 9th highest in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and 2nd highest in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
| Florida
Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Carbon Dioxide CO2 |
Sulfur Dioxide SO2 |
Nitrogen Oxides NOX |
| 1990 | 89,480,856 | 632,761 | 289,629 |
| 1991 | 95,998,359 | 703,464 | 311,488 |
| 1992 | 93,637,078 | 704,697 | 311,239 |
| 1993 | 98,192,227 | 692,930 | 316,829 |
| 1994 | 100,545,116 | 675,919 | 316,263 |
| 1995 | 102,456,246 | 558,438 | 332,642 |
| 1996 | 107,436,554 | 655,572 | 313,898 |
| 1997 | 110,882,223 | 702,256 | 307,894 |
| 1998 | 121,687,450 | 736,315 | 332,152 |
| 1999 | 118,007,468 | 710,158 | 321,270 |
| 2000 | 120,058,540 | 567,013 | 301,376 |
| 2001 | 120,127,163 | 564,042 | 298,136 |
| 2002 | 124,258,722 | 474,940 | 268,657 |
| 2003 | 128,795,916 | 468,214 | 257,493 |
| 2004 | 130,089,081 | 442,747 | 240,822 |
| Source: EIA-767 and EIA-906 Survey, Energy Information Administration | |||
| Florida Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (CO2)* |
 |
| *Carbon Dioxide |
Florida Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (SO2)* |
 |
| *Sulfur Dioxide |
Florida Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (NOX)* |
 |
| *Nitrogen Oxide |
More Information on Florida's Nuclear Industry
Nuclear Generation
Electricity generation by nuclear power plants is available for each reactor and each State for the following years:
