For several years now, the production of energy from various natural resources—from natural gas to renewables like wind and solar—has been one of the nation’s most interesting, dynamic and controversial infrastructure development sectors.
One energy firm that has utilized an “all-of-the-above” approach to pursue and successfully develop a wide range of new electrical generation facilities—both in the Southeast and across the nation—is NextEra Energy/FPL Group, based in Juno Beach, Fla. Within ENR Southeast’s geographic coverage area—officially expanded January 1st to now include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Puerto Rico—FPL definitely has been busy. Several years ago, for instance, FPL began remaking its older power plants on Florida’s east coast into natural gas-fueled “Clean Energy Centers,” so named for their much-reduced emissions.
At the same time, in concert with its parent company, NextEra Energy, FPL has been developing numerous solar facilities of varying size across the Sunshine State. In fact, two such projects—in Arcadia, Fla., and also at Babcock Ranch—are poised to be included on this year’s upcoming Top Starts ranking. Elsewhere, in other states such as Alabama, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico, NextEra is involved with other renewables projects, including both wind and solar. And both firms are involved with the Sabal Trail and Florida Southeast Connection pipeline projects involving the state of Florida.
In recognition of those developments, ENR editors have chosen NextEra Energy/FPL as this year’s Southeast Owner of the Year. We’ll have more information about the firm’s development efforts and recent achievements in the upcoming print edition of ENR Southeast, to be published next month.
