Credit coming to Duke Energy Customers
Credit coming to Duke Energy Customers
TALLAHASSEE - The three-member panel of the Florida Public Service Commission ordered that a credit be given to Duke Energy customers Oct. 2 for $54 million dollars in equipment that was never received for the Levy Nuclear Project. In a press release, Commissioner Julie I. Brown said,'We need to pause here and reflect on what is fair, just and in the public interest. $3.45 per month may not seem like a lot to some people, but it means everything to Duke's customers. Customers shouldn't have to pay for something that was never delivered on.' The $3.45 a month was initially agreed to in order to recover remaining costs associated with the Levy Nuclear Project. Once the remaining costs are recovered, customers should expect that this charge will be removed from their bills. Because of this credit, the charge will now be removed much earlier than was anticipated under the prior Settlement Agreement. 'The Commission has the authority to order Duke to make this adjustment, and it is the right thing to do,' said Commissioner Eduardo E. Balbis Commissioner Ronald A. Brisé added, 'This adjustment is within the authority of the Commission and was contemplated in the most recent Duke settlement agreement. The Commission is cognizant of the impact of this decision on Duke's ratepayers who have carried a significant financial load without the benefit they thought they would receive. I believe that this result is fair and reasonable and that it adequately reflects the intentions of the Legislature when the NCRC was created.' DEF residential customers using 1,000 kWh will see a monthly charge of about $5.51 beginning in January, a decrease of 11 cents from the current charge. In other business, PSC approved the need for Duke Energy Florida's proposed Citrus County combined cycle power plant and its Hines Chillers Power Uprate Project (Hines Project). DEF plans to construct a natural gas-fired, combined cycle power plant on a site adjacent to its Crystal River Energy Complex in Citrus County. Beginning in December 2018, the 1,640-megawatt (MW) facility will provide enough energy to power approximately 110,000 residential homes. The proposed plant is projected to result in savings of $477 million to $1.2 billion when compared to other alternatives. The Hines Project involves installation of a chiller system that will cool the gas turbine inlet air to four existing power blocks at DEF's Hines Energy Complex in Bartow. With service beginning in summer 2017, the project will contribute an additional 220 MW of summer capacity and could save customers from $90 to $140 million, when compared to other alternatives. 'Both projects will also bring new jobs to the state and help meet federal emissions standards,' said PSC Chairman Art Graham. DEF had an additional proposal for a generating plant in Suwannee County, but the Commission didn't consider it after evidence was introduced indicating existing generating facilities could be bought at a substantially lower cost to customers. In response to that concern, DEF negotiated a preliminary agreement to buy the Osprey Energy Center from Calpine Construction Finance Company and agreed to withdraw the Suwannee facility. As part of the statutory need determination process, the PSC considers the need for electric system reliability and integrity, adequate electricity at a reasonable cost, fuel diversity, and fuel supply reliability. The Commission also considers whether renewable energy sources and technologies, as well as conservation measures, are used to the extent reasonably available. Duke Energy is Florida's second largest investor-owned utility and serves 1.7 million customers. For more information visit, www.floridapsc.com.
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