As it looks to boost the use of renewable energy, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday approved an expansion plan for a Palm Beach County facility that turns garbage into electricity.
Most of the electricity generated at the expanded plant will go to Florida Power & Light, which will pay $56.6 million for the project and recoup the money from its customers.
In all, the plant run by the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County will see its generating capacity increase by 93 megawatts. About 70 megawatts of that capacity will go to FPL.
The project drew relatively little debate from the Public Service Commission. Member Eduardo Balbis, a former assistant city administrator in West Palm Beach, said the expansion would increase FPL’s use of renewable energy, create jobs and help dispose of waste that otherwise likely would go to a landfill.
A commission staff analysis indicates FPL will recoup the money through slight increases in customers’ monthly bills for one year. A residential customer who uses 1,200 kilowatt hours of electricity a month would see an increase of 71 cents, according to the analysis.
The approval came as commissioners take early steps toward trying to develop a strategy to boost renewable energy in the state.
Also, it came the same day that Gov. Rick Scott signed a massive government-reorganization bill that will shift the duties of the Florida Energy and Climate Commission from the governor’s office to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Early in his administration, former Gov. Charlie Crist was an outspoken supporter of increased use of renewable energy. But his most-ambitious idea — creating a “renewable portfolio standard” that would have required certain percentages of renewable energy — never materialized.
The Public Service Commission on Tuesday discussed coming up with a renewable-energy strategy that it could use in working with Scott, lawmakers and other groups during the 2012 legislative session.
Commission General Counsel Curt Kiser, a former legislator, said interest groups have pulled the renewable-energy issue in different directions. But he said he has already started talking with legislative staff members and a Scott energy adviser about focusing on the issue.
By Jim Saunders
