About Natural Gas and FPL’s Need

Natural gas is a leading electricity fuel source in the Sunshine State. Approximately 68 percent of the electricity Floridians use is generated by natural gas power plants. Natural gas has many advantages: it’s the cleanest fossil fuel, abundantly available in the U.S. and far more affordable than imported oil.

To continue providing its customers with clean, affordable energy, Florida Power & Light Company has made key investments to improve overall reliability and manage costs. In addition to FPL’s growing system-wide demand for natural gas, FPL has been modernizing older, oil-fired plants into highly efficient natural gas power plants. These new facilities are 33 to 35 percent more fuel-efficient than the older oil-burning plants they replace and 90 percent cleaner.

To meet the state’s growing natural gas needs, FPL issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new, independently routed pipeline system to bring additional natural gas into Florida. After a fair, competitive evaluation process, FPL determined that the best, most economical solution to meet its need for additional natural gas transportation is a combination of a natural gas pipeline and interconnection hub to be built by Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC, and a second natural gas pipeline to be built by Florida Southeast Connection, LLC.