Sierra Club Gives OUC Top Score in Florida

For the second consecutive year, OUC—The Reliable One has been recognized in the Sierra Club’s 2022 Clean Energy report card for the utility’s commitment to reaching 100% Net Zero emissions by 2050, with interim goals of 50% by 2030 and 75% by 2040. OUC is the highest scoring utility in Florida and one of only two utilities in Florida to earn a “B” rating. A total of 77 utilities were surveyed nationally. In the Sierra Club’s inaugural 2021 report, OUC also earned a “B” rating.

“Balancing sustainability with reliability, resiliency and affordability is our constant focus,” said Clint Bullock, OUC’s General Manager & CEO. “As with previous findings, this latest report shows we are on the right course for a clean energy future.”

In August 2021, OUC’s Board of Commissioners formally approved the purchase of the Osceola Generating Station (OGS), a 510-megawatt (MW) simple-cycle natural gas-fired power plant located in Osceola County. When fully operational, by 2025, OGS will be used to mitigate solar production fluctuations to maintain system-wide electric reliability. This enables OUC to retire the Stanton Energy Center’s (SEC) Unit 1 by 2025 and convert Unit 2 to natural gas by 2027.

Approved in 2020, OUC’s 30-year clean energy roadmap is part of an Electric Integrated Resource Plan (EIRP) that resulted in OUC leadership’s recommendation to significantly reduce the use of coal by 2025 and to eliminate it entirely by 2027.

“The roadmap will allow us to meet our critical goal of Net Zero CO2 Emissions by 2050, as well as interim targets as we move toward a cleaner, greener future,” said Bullock.