Florida Southeast Connection Pipeline

From Global Energy Monitor
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Florida Southeast Connection Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline in Florida, USA.[1]

Location

The pipeline begins at the Central Florida Hub, a natural-gas transmission facility in Osceola County, just north of the Polk County boundary, and will terminate at an energy center in Martin County. At that point, it will connect with Florida Power & Light’s existing pipeline system.[2]

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Project Details

  • Operator: NextEra Energy[1]
  • Parent Company: NextEra Energy[2]
  • Capacity: 640 million cubic feet per day[1]
  • Length: 126 miles / 202.8 km[1]
  • Diameter: 30-inches, 36-inches[1]
  • Cost: US$537 million[1]
  • Status: Operating[1]
  • Start Year: 2017[1]

Background

Construction on the Florida Southeast Connection Pipeline began in August 2017. The pipeline crosses the properties of about 250 owners in Polk County, with one case still in litigation amid a dispute over fair compensation, as of 2017.[2]

NextEra built the $550 million pipeline to meet rising energy demands in Florida. The 126-mile Southeast Connection begins at the Central Florida Hub, a natural-gas transmission facility in Osceola County, just north of the Polk County boundary, and will terminate at an energy center in Martin County. At that point, it will connect with FP&L’s existing pipeline system. The pipeline will carry natural gas from other pipelines, including Sabal Trail, that feed into the Central Florida Hub. Gas carried by the pipeline will be burned to generate power used throughout FP&L’s network. FP&L has reported that it is replacing its older, coal-fueled power plants with gas-powered plants.[2]

Lack of Opposition

The Sierra Club, a leading environmental group, opposed the Keystone XL pipeline and joined lawsuits to stop construction of Sabal Trail Pipeline. But the group didn’t oppose this project. According to a representative from the Sierra Club’s local chapter, they failed to oppose the pipeline because it is not a “supplier pipeline” and instead will carry gas that has been blended from multiple sources. The Sabal Trail Pipeline, by contrast, will be a direct carrier of natural gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing, a process that has been the focus of many environmental groups.[2]

Articles and resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Natural Gas Data, Pipeline Projects Energy Information Agency, accessed July 21, 2020
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Gary White, Natural gas pipeline through Polk County creates little clamor The Ledger, March 18, 2017

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External resources

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