JEA closer to building $556 million Southside electric plant

[Jason]

Just In
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JEA closer to building $556 million Southside electric plant

Posted: Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
By MATT GALNOR
The Times-Union

With approval for a $18.7 million purchase now in hand, JEA is a step closer to having an electric plant on the Southside again.

The JEA board this morning unanimously approved a contract for 109 acres near Philips Highway and Florida 9A. If all goes smoothly with permitting, construction will begin next year on the $556 million project.

The plant would be open in 2010.

The city-owned utility hasn’t had a plant south of the St. Johns River since the Southside Generating Station was decommissioned in 2001.

Adding generation on the Southside, particularly as the area continues to grow, is important to the reliability of the full electric system, JEA Chief Executive Officer Jim Dickenson said.

The plant will be called the Southeast Generating Station and would eliminate the need for another $100 million in transmission lines to cross the river, Dickenson said.

Plans call for two natural gas turbines, with a combined-cycle unit to come. A combined-cycle unit uses byproduct from the first cycle to produce more energy.

JEA is buying the land from D.D.I. Inc., the investment company owned by the Davis family, relatives of the founders of Winn-Dixie. Jay Skelton, the company’s vice president who is in charge of real estate, was out of town and unavailable for comment.

JEA owns about 150 acres for the plant. The utility bought 20 acres from D.D.I. several years ago and last year paid $5.5 million to buy the Avenues Driving Range, a 23-acre parcel.

See Jacksonville.com for updates and Wednesday’s Times-Union.

Source: http://news.jacksonville.com/justin/2008/01/15/jea-closer-to-building-556-million-southside-electric-plant/

[thelakelander]

Wow, that was out of the blue.

[stephenc]

Does JEA plan to expand to other areas outside of its current market? I wonder.....

[Jason]

This was a suprise to me too.

Sounds to me like they are trying to consume more of the northern St. Johns market.  In reality all that new development is becomming contiguous with Duval county anyway.  JEA can serve that area much cheaper than FPL can.

I what the impact of these natural gas turbines will be on the surrounding area. 

[Jason]

It looks like the combined-cycle unit (what JEA is proposing) is more compact.  Should be a better fit for the burgeoning southside area...

Here is what one of these plants could look like.


A Proposed Natural Gas
Combined Cycle Power Plant
in New York
Source: New York Power Authority



I'm sure JEA's plant will be much smaller.

[adamh0903]

Does JEA plan to expand to other areas outside of its current market? I wonder.....

I know they have intrest in expanding north, because all the infastructure on SR 200 between Callahan and Yulee in the new subdivisions on A1A is all JEA sub-stations. Even the new utility plant being built in callahan is being built to JEA specs, but this is more for the water and sewer utilities than electric, as everything up here is FPL or OREMC

[gatorback]

I think the JEA does a great job.  Who isn't satisified with JEA service?  Doesn't Jacksonville enjoy some of the lowest rates in the nation?  And that North Side Gen. Stations runs on more then 1 type of fuel right, so the JEA can switch fuels to what's currently the low cost fuel.  The JEA can do nothing wrong in my book. 

[Jason]

JEA is a very effeciently run electric utility.  The water and sewer side could use some work though.

Jacksonville does enjoy some of the lowest electric rates for a utility its size, however, there are many smaller utilities and cooperatives that have lower rates.  Of the five major metropolitan areas in the state, JEA is the lowest.

Your right Gatorback, the northside plants do run on multiple fuel sources.  Petrolium coke (an oil refining byproduct) and low sulfer coal are the two major energy sources.  JEA also has some of the highest polution control standards in the country and have become "The Example" for many other utilities.

[Ocklawaha]

Man I'd love to see the plans for the distribution network. Bet there are some great right-of-ways in the pole lines of the transmission wires... Beaches? Butler? Arlington? Where?

BTW, we already have a line of electric Right-of-way from about Phillips (south of Butler) East to Southside, Hence North to between Atlantic and Beach, hence East to the Intercoastal...

Can anyone say   * E L E C T R I C    L I G H T    R A I L ?

It's all the BUZZZZZ

Ocklawaha

[Steve]

I think the JEA does a great job.  Who isn't satisified with JEA service?

I was pretty annoyed with the Avenues Mall lost power twice in one day two weeks ago.

[stephenc]

Grant it doesnt happen anymore but growing up, it seemed the power would go off every few days at my parent house out near cecil field. Also i've spent alot of time in countries with terrible electricity and water. In colombia once, a 15min storm came through and we lost power for 3 days. In Domincan Republic, we would lose power every day for a few hours. Not to mention having to bath with a 5 gallon bucket. I'll take the most expensive electric rates any day.

[gatorback]

I had fun taking the tour of the Northside Generation Station when it first opened.  Who else was at that open house after the plant went on line, or was it before it went on line?  Either way, I remember seen the hyperbolic parabaloid wondering what they are for.  Turns out they are for cooling water before it's dumped into the river.  Either way, we enjoy clean coal power from that plant.  And the water dispensed into the river doesn't do to much damage as far as algae goes.  Anybody heard differently?  Hot water is polution you know.

JEA is new to the water/sewer business.  The previous department couldn't put a water line in without screwing something up.  Give the JEA a few more years and I’m sure they'll get that new department straightened out.   

[Jason]

I took a tour of the plant last spring with a bunch of other local engineers.  It was an amazing tour and I learned a lot about the plant and how it compared to other plants.  From what I remember, they do cool the wastewater before it is dumped into the river.  The part that I was most impressed with was the enormous geodesic domes built for housing the raw material to power the plant.  Those things looked like they could almost fit Alltel Stadium inside.

[stephenc]

By Lindy Thackston
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A new, greener power plant is in the works in Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Electric Authority wants to break ground in Mandarin. The plant would be built just east of Philips Highway, south of the Avenues Mall, and north of the St. Johns County line.

A town hall meeting was held at Mandarin High School Tuesday night to answer questions.

Currently, there are no generating stations south and east of the St. Johns River.

The only way to transmit electricity to that area is to cross the St. Johns River.

The southeast area of the city has the greatest increase in electrical demand within JEA's service area because of population growth and construction.

The entire city's overall growth rate requires 70-100 additional megawatts per year, so JEA says it has no choice but to build a new generating station.

The new station has been dubbed as JEA's Greenland Energy Center.

JEA says the clean-burning natural gas turbines provide electricity with a low air emission output, and the turbines are capable of using ultra-low sulfur diesel as a backup fuel.

The Greenland Energy Center should significantly improve reliability, especially during bad weather.

JEA officials told the crowd there would be no smell, very minimal noise, and no impact on real estate values.

They also said there would be no service loss to the southeast section of the city in the event of an interruption of transmission that currently crosses the river.

Some folks voiced concern about the more than $500 million cost.

JEA's CEO said he can't promise rates won't go up because energy prices are going up.

He said they have no choice because of demand, and said the Greenland Energy Plant is the lowest cost plant for the growing demand, and it's also better for the environment.

"Over time, this has been an increasing concern to us as the community has grown, and also with the ability to provide reliable electric power to this region," he said.

Construction of the new facility will have minimal impact on wetland areas.

The heat exhaust stack will be 115 feet high, and if a proposed combined cycle conversion happens within the next several years, the stack would be 190 feet high.

JEA also says that because of design and land buffering, and because the plant is within an existing industrial corridor, there will be minimal impact on traffic and the community.

JEA currently serves more than 412,000 customers and 900 square miles.

Permitting begins this year. Construction begins in 2009 and JEA anticipates electricity generation from the Greenland Energy Center in 2010.

JEA officials are willing to have more town hall meetings upon request. For more information, call 904-665-7500.


Created: 4/15/2008 10:33:00 PM
Updated: 4/16/2008 12:37:06 PM
Edited by  Lindy Thackston, Reporter

Permitting begins this year. Construction begins in 2009 and JEA anticipates electricity generation from the Greenland Energy Center in 2010.

They expect to generate power in 2 years? That seems pretty quick. Is that really feasable?

[Joe]

By Lindy Thackston
First Coast News

The Jacksonville Electric Authority wants to break ground in Mandarin. The plant would be built just east of Philips Highway, south of the Avenues Mall, and north of the St. Johns County line.

Wow ... so that's Mandarin now too? It used to be called Bayard.

I think we just need to cut to the chase, and divide up the entire Southside into 3 equal areas called Mandarin, San Marco, and Ponte Vedra.   Let's just get it over with.