Sierra Club Applauds Gulf Power's New Wind Proposal
TAMPA, FL — Today, Gulf Power announced it will seek the Florida Public Service Commission's approval to purchase power from a 180 megawatt wind project in Oklahoma. If approved, the site, called Kingfisher Wind, would provide enough electricity to power 50,700 homes. Today's announcement comes just a few weeks after Southern Company owned Gulf Power announced new solar power projects totaling 120 megawatts on three military installations in Northwest Florida and just days after Gulf Power announced that the Lansing Smith plant would stop burning coal.
In response to today's announcement Beyond Coal Senior Campaign Representative Kelly Martin issued the following statement:
"We applaud Gulf Power's commitment to bring cost-effective, clean power to the people of Florida. Wind energy is not only affordable and available but it's a far healthier alternative than new coal or gas plants. The series of recent clean energy projects announced by Gulf Power provides a strong example to other energy producers in the state that now is the time to invest in clean energy sources like wind, solar and energy efficiency.
"With the plummeting price of wind and solar making these clean, reliable solutions more affordable than ever, Florida stands ready to be a leader in the clean energy economy. But, Florida's homeowners and businesses need a strong commitment from power companies and the Scott administration to ensure that we seize this opportunity without delay in order to ensure wind, solar power and energy efficiency make up a significant portion of our energy mix in the years to come."
Contact: Sean Sarah, Sierra Club, 330-338-3740, sean.sarah@sierraclub.org.