New plan to reduce carbon dioxide

FPL parent’s goal: Cut emissions more than 65 percent

NextEra Energy — parent company of Florida Power & Light Co. — on Thursday announced it plans to reduce its rate of carbon dioxide emissions by more than 65 percent by 2021.

The Juno Beach-based energy and electric utility company said the target is part of an ongoing goal to “create a sustainable energy future,” said NextEra Energy Chairman and CEO Jim Robo.

The company has been reducing emissions through development of renewable energy and modernization of its equipment, Robo said. NextEra said it has reduced its CO2 emissions rate by 52 percent since 2001.

In 2017, NextEra Energy recorded its lowest-ever emissions rates of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide — rates that were substantially better than the U.S. electric sector averages, according to the company.

Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion represent the largest source of all globalwarming-potential emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are generated by burning fossil fuels, which include petroleum, coal and natural gas.

Last year, emissions of carbon dioxide by the U.S. electric power sector were about 34 percent of the total U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal represented nearly 70 percent of the emissions; natural gas, 29 percent; and petroleum, 1 percent.

FPL has been shifting away from coal and toward natural gas power plants. FPL demolished its 1960s-era units at Port Everglades to make way for a more fuel-efficient plant that runs on natural gas. This spring, the Florida Public Service Commission approved a new $888 million natural gas power plant to be built in Dania Beach; operation is expected by 2022.

But some environmental organizations oppose new power plants fueled by natural gas.

“NextEra simply isn’t walking the talk in Florida,” said Susannah Randolph, representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign in Florida. “On the one hand, this announcement seems to show they understand that renewable energy is not only clean but cost-competitive. Yet at the same time, they’re pushing the umpteenth climate-disrupting fracked gas plant in [Dania Beach]...”

The Sierra Club has opposed the new Dania Beach plant.

NextEra Energy was recently recognized for its leadership in renewable energy by Fortune maga-

zine as among the top 25 companies globally that “change the world.”

Fortune particularly noted NextEra for striking a large solar panel supply

deal in March with Chinabased JinkoSolar Holding Co. Under the agreement, JinkoSolar will supply NextEra Energy with roughly 7 million solar panels over about four years.

FPL operates 14 solar power plants and is building

four more that are scheduled to be in service next year.

NextEra Energy had 2017 revenues of 17.2 billion. FPL has more than 5 million customer accounts in Florida, representing about 10 million people.