TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Power Usage Hits Record For Utility

ADVERTISEMENT

By RUSSELL RAY

rray@tampatrib.com

Published: February 11, 2009

TAMPA - Power plants operated by Progress Energy were pushed closer to their limits last week as demand for electricity reached an all-time high, the utility said Tuesday.

Customers turned up their thermostats Thursday and Friday as temperatures plunged below freezing.

Demand peaked Friday morning as customers used 10,276 megawatt-hours of power between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. The previous one-hour record was 10,131 megawatt-hours, set Jan. 24, 2003.

The record demand demonstrates a need to build two 1,105-megawatt nuclear reactors on a 5,100-acre site in Levy County, said Jeff Lyash, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Florida.

Together, the reactors could generate enough power for more than 1 million Florida homes. The project is awaiting approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

"This record-setting customer energy demand ... highlights the importance of having a balanced strategy for meeting energy needs with clean, reliable and affordable power," Lyash said in a statement.
Progress Energy can generate more than 9,300 megawatts of power from plants it owns and operates. The utility is Central Florida's largest power provider, serving nearly 1.7 million customers.

Although demand surged to record levels, the utility said it did not have to cycle off power to certain customers.

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT