Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Supporting South Floridians for More Than Four Decades
Turkey Point operations generate an estimated $1.7 billion of economic output annually, provide more than 800 full-time employees and 5,000 temporary jobs that will bring an additional $11 million into the local economy each month.
More than 40 years ago, the Florida Power and Light Company began operating their two zero-emissions nuclear units. However, Turkey Point operations kicked off a few years back when in 1968, FPL completed the construction of two steam turbines fueled with oil/natural gas (Units 1 and 2) and their associated black-start diesel generators. The two zero-emissions nuclear reactors, known as units 3 and 4, were added in 1972 and 1973 respectively, along with 150 miles of cooling canals.
Throughout these decades, enormous benefits have been provided to the community. For instance, Turkey Point operations generate an estimated $1.7 billion of economic output annually, that not only includes tax contributions to the state and federal government, but also provides employment to more than 800 full-time employees and hundreds of contract workers who live in nearby communities.
In recent years FPL has invested more than $1 billion to upgrade Turkey Point’s nuclear units. Therefore, FPL has brought in thousands of new temporary, contract, and permanent workers to Turkey Point to upgrade the plant. In 2012 the project created 5,000 temporary additional jobs for workers who pumped an additional $11 million into the local economy each month. Starting in the fall of 2018 and into the spring of 2019, the plant will once again hire thousands of additional temporary workers as part of annual refueling outages that require personnel to work onsite. This means local hotels and restaurants will be booming.
“I’ve been working here for over ten years, and my husband also works here,” said Plant Electrician Orpha Harper. “These are well-paying jobs just a few miles from our home, and a lot of our neighbors also work at Turkey Point.”
The reactors’ initial 40-year licenses were extended for another 20 years in 2002. The company recently filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew the units’ operating licenses, with the approval process expected to take a few years. “Renewing the licenses would allow the units to operate until 2052 and 2053 and save FPL customers billions of dollars by avoiding the need for other more expensive power generation,” says FPL spokeswoman Bianca Cruz. “Investments like these will keep FPL’s residential customer bills one of the lowest in the state of Florida and a full 30 percent below the national average.”
At Turkey Point, FPL is not just working towards a healthy economy but is also working to support a healthy environment. The company has invested millions of dollars in numerous other environmental improvements to restore critical habitat and protect endangered species. Also, directly adjacent to Turkey Point, FPL manages the single-largest privately funded Everglades restoration project, permanently protecting approximately 13,000 acres of historical Eastern Everglades wetlands.
Additionally, FPL and the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department have been collaborating to develop a system that would treat and reuse county wastewater at Turkey Point. The system would deliver up to 60 million gallons a day of treated wastewater to an advanced reclaimed water facility.
Haz clic para leer en Español: La Planta Nuclear Turkey Point ha estado apoyando al sur de Florida por más de 4 décadas
