{"id":17212,"date":"2016-08-31T15:45:25","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T19:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=17212"},"modified":"2016-09-01T09:18:37","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T13:18:37","slug":"fpl-admits-no-need-for-new-electricity-until-2024-so-why-sabal-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2016\/08\/fpl-admits-no-need-for-new-electricity-until-2024-so-why-sabal-trail.html","title":{"rendered":"FPL admits no need for new electricity until 2024: so why Sabal Trail?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\r\n17%, 13%, now 0% new electricity needed in Florida, according to FPL?\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/allthetropes.wikia.com\/wiki\/Solar-Powered_Magnifying_Glass\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right\" src=\"http:\/\/vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net\/allthetropes\/images\/2\/2e\/Magnifying_Glass_kills_a_ant_2985.jpg\/revision\/latest?cb=20140704100732\"><\/a>\r\nAnd the Sabal Trail excuse of coal plant &#8220;modernization&#8221; has already been\r\naccomplished <em>without<\/em> Sabal Trail?\r\nWhile even FPL is now deploying solar power and admits solar &#8220;is now significantly influencing FPL&#8217;s resource planning&#8221;?\r\nSo what is the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline boondoggle for, then?\r\n<p>\r\nTwo years ago\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2014\/04\/24\/fpls-own-projections-dont-support-need-for-a-new-pipeline\/\">\r\nI pointed out that<\/a> FPL&#8217;s own projections in its ten-year plans\r\n<!--more-->\r\nfiled annually with the Florida Public Service Commission did not support\r\nany need for Sabal Trail.\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>\r\n in 2011 FPL projected a 17% 10-year electricity demand increase\r\n<li>\r\n in 2014 FPL projected a 13% 10-year electricity demand increase\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>\r\nAdding a third 36&#8243; fracked methane pipeline would be a 50% increase.\r\nCorrect me if I&#8217;m wrong, but 50% seems much larger than 13%.\r\n<p>\r\nSpectra and FPL&#8217;s excuse for that has always been the\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fpl.com\/clean-energy\/natural-gas\/modernization.html\">\r\n&#8220;modernization&#8221; of coal plants<\/a>, meaning conversion to natural gas\r\nplants. Nevermind they could do it faster, cheaper, safer, cleaner,\r\nand with no eminent domain by deploying solar power.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nLet&#8217;s look at FPL&#8217;s\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fpl.com\/company\/pdf\/10-year-site-plan.pdf\">\r\nTen Year Power Plant Site Plan\r\n2016-2025<\/a> filed with FL PSC in April 2016:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>\r\n&#8220;Difference: FPL does not project a significant long-term additional resource need until the years\r\n2024 and 2025.&#8221;\r\n<\/strong>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\r\nThat&#8217;s in the Executive Summary, in boldface, on page 7, which continues:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p>\r\nForecasted lower peak load growth, plus the recently approved\r\nOkeechobee CC unit that will enter service in mid-2019, results in\r\nFPL projecting that its next significant long-term resource needs\r\nwill not occur until the years 2024 and 2025. Because these resource\r\nneeds are 8 and 9 years in the future, no decision regarding how to\r\nbest meet those resource needs will be required for several years.\r\nRecognizing this fact, this Site Plan shows a large CC natural\r\ngas-fired unit at a greenfield site being added in 2024. The CC unit\r\nis a reasonable resource option which could address FPL&#8217;s resource\r\nneeds for both of these years. However, on-going resource planning\r\nanalyses in subsequent years will ultimately determine what the best\r\nresource option(s) for 2024 and 2025 will be. This decision will be\r\naddressed in future Site Plans.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nThat looks like a demand increase of 0% (zero percent).\r\n<p>\r\nWhat about that &#8220;modernization&#8221; of coal plants?\r\nIt&#8217;s already happened!\r\n<p>\r\nPage 59:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p>\r\nIn regard to using natural gas more efficiently, FPL received\r\napprovals in 2008 from the FPSC to modernize the existing Cape\r\nCanaveral and Riviera Beach plant sites with new, highly efficient\r\nCC units to replace the former steam generating units on each of\r\nthose sites. The Cape Canaveral modernization went into service in\r\nApril 2013 and the Riviera Beach modernization went into service in\r\nApril 2014. On April 9, 2012, FPL received FPSC approval to proceed\r\nwith a similar modernization project at the Port Everglades site.\r\nThe project has been completed and the new generating unit went into\r\nservice on April 1, 2016. All three of \r\nthese modernized sites have the capability of receiving\r\nwater-borne delivery of Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) oil as a\r\nbackup fuel.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nSo much for Sabal Trail being needed for coal plant &#8220;modernization&#8221;.\r\n<p><strong>Update: 2016-08-21:<\/strong>\r\nHow was this possible, if it was such a big deal?\r\nStuart Korfhage, The St. Augustine Record, 11 October 2015,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/staugustine.com\/news\/business\/2015-10-11\/eric-silagy-ceo-fpl-shares-thoughts-solar-power-emissions-compliance#.V8dYiGQrLdE\">Eric Silagy, CEO of FPL, shares thoughts on solar power, emissions compliance<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nBut FPL isn\u2019t forced to make a lot of changes because it uses coal for just 3.9 percent of its energy needs.&#8221;\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nHow could 3.9% of FPL&#8217;s energy needs ever have justified an increase of 50% in incoming fracked methane?\r\n<p>\r\nFPL admits again on page 84 of its 2016 Ten-Year Plan:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<h4>III.G FPL&#8217;s Fuel Mix and Fuel Price Forecasts<\/H4>\r\n<ol start=\"4\">\r\n<li>\r\n<strong>Securing Additional Natural Gas:<\/strong>\r\n<br>\r\nThe recent trend of increasing reliance upon natural gas to produce\r\nelectricity for FPL&#8217;s customers is projected to continue due to\r\nFPL&#8217;s growing load.\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nWait a minute: what growing load?\r\nFPL already admitted up front in the Executive Summary there is no growing load.\r\nI guess they forgot to edit that excuse out of this section.\r\n<p>\r\nContinuing:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p> The addition of highly fuel-efficient CC units at\r\nCape Canaveral, Riviera Beach, and Port Everglades due to completed\r\nmodernization projects,\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nThere it is again: &#8220;completed modernization projects&#8221;.\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p>plus the additional CC capacity at the\r\nOkeechobee site that will come in-service in 2019, will reduce the\r\ngrowth in natural gas use from what it otherwise might have been due\r\nto the high fuel-efficiency levels of these new CC units. In\r\naddition, as discussed above, FPL plans to add a significant amount\r\nof new PV facilities that utilize no fossil fuel.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nThat&#8217;s PV as in photovoltaic, as in solar power, as in what FPL&#8217;s\r\nrep told the Suwannee Board of County Commissioners wasn&#8217;t practical\r\nin Florida because of clouds.\r\nYet FPL says right here in its 2016 ten-year plan filed with FL PSC\r\nthat FPL is deploying &#8220;a significant amount\r\nof new PV facilities that utilize no fossil fuel&#8221;.\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p> However, these\r\nefficiency gains do not fully offset the effects of FPL&#8217;s growing\r\nload.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nAgain, with the non-existant &#8220;growing load&#8221;.\r\nRead the Executive Summary! There is no growing load.\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p> Therefore, FPL will need to secure more natural gas supply,\r\nmore firm gas transportation capacity, and secure gas reserves in\r\nthe future as fuel requirements dictate. The issue is how to secure\r\nthese additional natural gas resources in a manner that is\r\neconomical for FPL&#8217;s customers and which maintains and\/or enhances\r\nthe reliability of natural gas supply and deliverability to FPL&#8217;s\r\ngenerating units.\r\n<p>\r\nFPL has historically purchased the gas\r\ntransportation capacity required for new natural gas supply from two\r\nexisting natural gas pipeline companies. As more natural gas is\r\ndelivered through these two pipelines, the impact of a supply\r\ndisruption on either pipeline becomes more problematic. Therefore,\r\nFPL issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in December 2012 for gas\r\ntransportation capacity to meet FPL&#8217;s system natural gas\r\nrequirements beginning in 2017.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nSo FPL admits there&#8217;s no growing load, and FPL admits that\r\nnatural gas pipelines are prone to supply disruptions.\r\nFPL didn&#8217;t say what sort of disruptions, but perhaps like\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/hazards\/other-hazards\/\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/kctv.images.worldnow.com\/images\/5145577_G.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nFlorida Gas Transmission (FGT)&#8217;s \r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2014\/02\/11\/methane-pipeline-blew-up-onto-florida-turnpike-next-to-high-school\/\">\r\n2009 pipeline explosion between I-95 and the Florida Turnpike<\/a>\r\nthat barely missed a high school,\r\nor FGT&#8217;s\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2014\/10\/26\/giant-fireball-from-4-inch-pipeline-in-gilchrist-county-fl-2012-06-27\/\">2012 giant fireball in Gilchrist County<\/a>,\r\nor FGT&#8217;s\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2013\/12\/31\/pipeline-subsidence-is-force-majeure-florida-gas-transmission\/\">2012 pipeline subsidence force majeure sinkhole event<\/a> in Assumption Parish, Louisiana.\r\nForce majeure as in act of God, as in not FGT&#8217;s fault, taxpayer beware.\r\nThere are lots more examples, not only by FGT but also by\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/hazards\/other-hazards\/\">\r\nWilliams Company<\/a>\r\nand by\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/hazards\/spectra-safety-violations\/\">Spectra Energy<\/a>, the pipeline company that wants to build Sabal Trail.\r\n<p>\r\nOh, and disruptions as in\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2015\/07\/24\/this-pipeline-is-a-soft-target-that-has-inadequate-security-measures-roger-marietta-to-ferc\/\">\r\na soft target that has inadequate security measures<\/a>,\r\nas in an easy mark for terrorists,\r\nas often already happens in the middle east and South America.\r\n<p>\r\nIf FPL actually cared about power source diversity, it would take back the\r\n$3 billion to be wasted on Sabal Trail and spend it on solar power throughout\r\nthe state, which doesn&#8217;t leak, cause sinkholes, or explode and couldn&#8217;t\r\nbe taken out all at once by any attack.\r\n<p>\r\nSo why did FPL let an RFP for Sabal Trail?\r\nContinuing in FPL&#8217;s 2016 Ten-Year Plan, page 84:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p>\r\nThe RFP encouraged bidders to propose new gas transportation\r\ninfrastructure to meet Florida&#8217;s growing need for natural gas. A\r\nthird pipeline would benefit FPL and its customers by increasing the\r\ndiversity of FPL&#8217;s fuel supply sources, increasing the physical\r\nreliability of the pipeline delivery system, and enhancing\r\ncompetition among pipelines.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nBecause of an alleged &#8220;growing need for natural gas&#8221;,\r\neven though even FPL now admits there is no growing need in Florida for electricty,\r\nand because of &#8220;diversity&#8221;, which could be met far better with solar power.\r\nThe FPL RFP that Spectra won with Sabal Trail was based on premises now\r\nknown to be false.\r\n<p>\r\nYet FPL keeps pushing that Sabal Trail boondoggle:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<p>\r\nThe RFP process was completed in June 2013, and the winning bidders\r\nwere Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC (Sabal Trail) and Florida\r\nSoutheast Connection, LLC (FSC). The contracts with Sabal Trail and\r\nFSC were reviewed by the FPSC and approved for cost recovery in late\r\n2013. The order approving this cost recovery became final in January\r\n2014. Sabal Trail and FSC have sought Federal Energy Regulatory\r\nCommission (FERC) approval for the new pipelines. FERC granted\r\ncertificates of approval for the new pipelines on February 2, 2016.\r\nThe certificates were accepted by the pipeline companies in early\r\nMarch 2016. The planned in-service date for the pipelines is May\r\n2017.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nFPL even admits in its 2016 plan that solar power is winning, on page 56:\r\n<blockquote style=\"font-size:100%\">\r\n<H4>III.C Discussion of the Projected Resource Plan and Issues Impacting FPL&#8217;s\r\nResource Planning Work<\/H4>\r\n<ol start=\"5\">\r\n<li> <strong>The Economic Competitiveness of Utility-Scale Photovoltaics (PV):<\/strong>\r\n<br>\r\nA factor that is now significantly influencing FPL&#8217;s resource\r\nplanning is the increasing attractiveness of utility-scale PV\r\nfacilities. This is due largely to the continued decline of the cost\r\nof PV modules. Because utility-scale PV facilities are approximately\r\ntwice as economical on an installed $\/kw basis than distributed PV,\r\nthe declining costs of PV modules has resulted, for the first time,\r\nin utility-scale PV in specific locations now being cost competitive\r\non FPL&#8217;s system. In addition, FPL&#8217;s analyses of the output from its\r\nexisting PV facilities in DeSoto and Brevard counties have resulted\r\nin FPL establishing a methodology for determining Summer and Winter\r\nfirm capacity values for utility-scale PV facilities.\r\n<p>\r\nAs a result,\r\nFPL&#8217;s resource plan that was presented last year showed that FPL\r\nplans to add approximately 223 MW (nameplate, AC) of new PV\r\ngeneration by the end of 2016. In this 2016 Site plan, the resource\r\nplan that is presented shows that an additional approximate 300 MW\r\n(nameplate, AC) of PV will be added by 2021. (For planning purposes,\r\na 2020 in-service date is assumed and shown in the resource plan.)\r\nDetails regarding these new PV facilities are discussed further in\r\nthis chapter in section III.F.\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nMeanwhile,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.af.mil\/News\/ArticleDisplay\/tabid\/223\/Article\/637072\/navy-af-break-ground-with-gulf-power-on-floridas-largest-solar-projects.aspx\">\r\nGulf Power (a Southern Company) is already deploying 120 MW AC of\r\nsolar power in 2016 in the Florida panhandle alone<\/a>.\r\nAnd in March 2016 FL PSC approved\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gulfpowernews.com\/state-approves-gulf-powers-new-solar-program\/\">\r\nGulf Power&#8217;s community solar program, Gulf Solar Energy Share<\/a>,\r\nlettihg individuals buy into a new solar farm near Milton, FL\r\nand in new areas around the panhandle as subscription requests increase.\r\nMeanwhile in Georgia, Georgia Power (a Southern Company) has already made\r\nGeorgia the fastest-growing U.S. solar market.\r\nDoes Florida have less sun than Georgia?\r\n<p>\r\nJust yesterday, Florida voters <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gulfpowernews.com\/state-approves-gulf-powers-new-solar-program\/\">passed Amendment 4 by almost 3\/4,\r\nwell more than the 60% needed<\/a>,\r\nthus improving the economics of solar power in the Sunshine State.\r\n<p>\r\nFPL is being dragged kicking and screaming into the sunlight by competition,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2016\/05\/solar-price-drops-setting-invisible-price-limit-for-ever-dirtier-fossil-fuel-extraction.html\">economics<\/a>, and politics.\r\n<p>\r\nYet FPL keeps pushing the Sabal Trail fracked methane boondoggle.\r\n<p>\r\nWhy? Could it be profit by export, what with\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/lng-export\/#Florida\">\r\nfour or more already-approved LNG export operations in Florida<\/a>,\r\nright where that pipeline chain would go?\r\n<p>\r\nFPL admitted in its 2016 ten-year plan, FPL, that all its excuses for\r\nSabal Trail have been overtaken by competition, economy, and politics,\r\nlike a cockroach in sunshine under a magnifying glass.\r\n<p>\r\nWhat can FPL do if it doesn&#8217;t want everyone to believe Sabal Trail is for LNG export?\r\n<p>\r\nFPL can cancel Sabal Trail!\r\n<p>\r\nCancel that boondoggle and spend that $3 billion\r\non solar power in the Sunshine State.\r\n<p>\r\nFor more on the Sabal Trail pipeline see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/category\/pipeline-2\">the LAKE blog Pipeline category<\/a> and for what you can do see\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wwals.net\/issues\/stt\/\">the Sabal Trail issue on the WWALS blog<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n -jsq\r\n<\/p><blockquote style=\"text-align:center;font-style:italic\">Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research.  You can <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/donate\">donate to LAKE today<\/a>!<\/blockquote>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"17%, 13%, now 0% new electricity needed in Florida, according to FPL? And the Sabal Trail excuse of coal plant &#8220;modernization&#8221; has already been accomplished without Sabal Trail? While even FPL is now deploying solar power and admits solar &#8220;is now significantly influencing FPL&#8217;s resource planning&#8221;? So what is the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[14,203,18,20,6124,6687,73,24],"tags":[8704,4615,7314,8062,6996,8751,7068,1763,8701,8708,8702,8710,620,12,7,562,6076,6597,8731,8714,6966,6,7689],"class_list":["post-17212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economy","category-florida","category-georgia-power","category-law","category-natural-gas-2","category-pipeline-2","category-safety","category-solar","tag-economy","tag-eminent-domain","tag-explosion","tag-fgt","tag-fl-psc","tag-florida","tag-florida-gas-transmission","tag-fpl","tag-georgia","tag-georgia-power","tag-lake","tag-law","tag-leak","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-lowndes-county","tag-natural-gas","tag-pipeline","tag-sabal-trail-transmission","tag-safety","tag-solar","tag-spectra-energy","tag-valdosta","tag-williams-company"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-4tC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17212"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17226,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17212\/revisions\/17226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}