Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA) announces its participation in a major expansion of the Florida Municipal Solar Project, one of the largest municipal-backed solar projections in the nation. FPUA joins Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), 19 other Florida municipal electric utilities and Origis Energy on the project.
The project currently consists of two solar farms, Taylor Creek Solar in Orange County and Harmony Solar in Osceola County, that generate nearly 150 megawatts (MW) of solar power - enough to power approximately 30,000 Florida homes. Upon completion, the expansion will quadruple the amount of solar power the project currently generates. A total of 20 Florida municipal electric utilities will purchase power from the project, and FPUA will purchase approximately 23.9 MW of power from the project.
"Participating in this large-scale project allows us to provide solar energy to our customers in the most cost-effective way," said Javier Cisneros, FPUA utility director. "The cost of solar power from the project is approximately one-third the cost of the typical private, rooftop solar system. We are proud to offer our customers alternative energy options at a lower rate."
This solar project represents one of many environmental and infrastructure improvement projects led by FPUA including: Relocating the sewer treatment plant off the Indian River Lagoon; lining sewer pipes with PVC to protect against inflow and outflow from cracks in aging clay pipes; installing several more acres of seagrass with grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Resilient Florida Program and the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program in partnership with the Manatee Education and Observation Center and the Treasure Coast Manatee Foundation.
The FMPA expansion includes two phases. Phase 2 includes the addition of two more solar farms, Rice Creek Solar in Putnam County and Whistling Duck Solar in Levy County. Project developers anticipate Rice Creek Solar will be complete by the end of this year and project Whistling Duck Solar will be complete in 2024. When both new sites are online, they will generate nearly 150 MW of solar energy.
Phase 3 of the project will bring another four solar farms online, doubling the size of the project from four to eight sites that will generate nearly 600 MW of solar power, which is four times what the project currently generates. Construction and operation of these four additional sites, which will be located in Columbia, Levy and Bradford Counties, will be staggered throughout 2025 and 2026. By the end of 2026, the Florida Municipal Solar Project will consist of more than 1.8 million solar panels installed on eight farms.
"By partnering with our municipal electric utilities members and Origis Energy, we are able to take advantage of a great opportunity to increase the volume of our low-cost, reliable solar generation at a time when solar costs have been escalating," said Jacob Williams, general manager and CEO of FMPA. "Expanding the Florida Municipal Solar Project will also enable us to serve several new communities that haven't had access to solar before."
Origis Energy, FMPA's partner in the project, aims to bring clean, cost-effective solar energy for commercial, industrial, public sector and utility clients. The organization has completed more than 170 projects worldwide with more than five gigawatts of developed solar, energy storage and clean hydrogen capacity.
"Origis is very proud to contribute to this historic municipal solar program led by FMPA," said Tanya Sessions, vice president, business development of Origis Energy. "What is unique about working with FMPA is the opportunity to work with a large group of cities across Florida that all have a passion to bring clean energy solutions to their communities, to their homes, while not sacrificing reliability or cost."
About FMPA: Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) is a wholesale power agency owned by municipal electric utilities in Florida. FMPA's mission is to provide low-cost, reliable and clean power, plus value-added services for FMPA's owner-customers that benefit their communities and customers. FMPA serves 32 of the 33 municipal electric utilities located across the state. Municipal utilities are individually owned and operated by the communities they serve. By working together through FMPA, the utilities can enhance their operations for the benefit of their customers. FMPA's primary purpose is to create joint power supply resources, such as power plant ownerships. In addition, the cities work together on a variety of joint efforts to enhance the cost, reliability and operations of their electric systems. Additional information is available at www.fmpa.com.
About FPUA: Fort Pierce Utilities Authority is a municipal, not-for-profit utility provider. FPUA's mission is to provide our customers with economical, reliable, and friendly service in a continuous effort to enhance the quality of life in our community. Fort Pierce is one of more than 2,000 communities in the United States served by a community-owned electric utility, and one of very few who also provide water, wastewater, natural gas, and Internet services. Public utility systems are owned by the people they serve. All benefits from our locally controlled utility remain right here in the community. Additional information is available at www.fpua.com.
About Orgis Energy: Headquartered in Miami, FL, Origis Energy delivers excellence in solar and energy storage development, financing, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations, maintenance and asset management for investors and clean energy consumers in the US. For more information about Origis Energy, visit www.origisenergy.com.
