Florida Municipal Utilities Announce Second Solar Power Project

Project expansion adds 600,000 solar panels for a total of 1.5 million panels by 2023

Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), in partnership with 12 municipal electric utilities and Origis Energy, today announced plans to expand the Florida Municipal Solar Project by adding 149 megawatts, or 66% more emissions-free energy, to what was already one of the largest municipal-backed solar projects in the nation.

“We are excited to expand our solar power generation and bring even more affordable and clean energy to our customers,” said Jacob Williams, general manager and CEO of the Orlando-based wholesale power agency. “By working together, our cities are able to provide clean power to their communities in a cost-effective way.”

Phase II of the Florida Municipal Solar Project will consist of two 74.5 megawatt solar farms, one in Alachua County and a second in Putnam County. Combined, the two sites will total approximately 1,500 acres. Phase I of the project consists of three 74.5 megawatt solar farms with 900,000 solar panels.

The cost of power from Phase II will be lower than Phase I, making it even more competitive with FMPA’s lowest-cost power generation. Because of the price, FMPA member cities were interested in contracting for a greater amount of solar power.

The 12 utilities that will receive power from Phase II include: Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, Havana, Homestead, Beaches Energy Services (Jacksonville Beach), Keys Energy Services (Key West), Kissimmee Utility Authority, Lake Worth Beach, Mount Dora, Utilities Commission City of New Smyrna Beach, Newberry, Ocala and Winter Park. For Havana, Mount Dora, New Smyrna Beach and Newberry, this is the first solar power project for their city.

FMPA will serve as the project coordinator, and the 12 municipal utilities, who are member-owners of FMPA, will purchase power from the project. The builder, owner and operator of Phase II is Origis Energy, a global clean energy solutions provider with more than 100 projects totaling over 1.6 gigawatts of developed solar and energy storage capacity. There is no up-front cost to the cities for participating. They will only pay for power when it is produced.

“Origis Energy is proud to partner with FMPA and Florida municipal electric utilities on the Florida Municipal Solar Project, one of the largest municipal-backed solar projects in the nation,” said Johan Vanhee, chief commercial officer and chief procurement officer of Origis Energy. “It is an honor to help so many of our fellow Floridians, and municipalities in the state of all sizes, realize the benefits of solar energy.”

FMPA broke ground on Phase I of the Florida Municipal Solar Project in November. With construction underway, FMPA and its members continue to expand solar power generation. When Phase II of the project is complete in 2023, the utilities will have a total of 372.5 megawatts of zero-emissions energy, which is enough to power 75,000 typical Florida homes.