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SW: →Troubled new Levy County nuclear project: - add section
By August of 2011, plant costs had risen from $8 billion to $20 billion and the timeline for construction had stretched out to at least 2021 (according to Progress), or possibly as late as 2027 (according to consumer advocates). As a result, advance payments by Florida consumers for the nuclear power plant were considered to be excessive by the state Office of Public Counsel and regulatory hearings were scheduled. <ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/14/2358888/fla-nuclear-plant-delays-rankle.html "Florida nuclear plant delays rankle consumers"] Associated Press, Aug. 14, 2011.</ref> <ref>Ivan Penn, [http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/progress-energys-plan-for-oft-delayed-levy-county-nuclear-plant-under-fire/1185702 "Progress Energy's plan for oft-delayed Levy County nuclear plant under fire,"] St. Petersburg Times, Aug. 14, 2011. </ref>
===Report: Progress Energy's nuclear plants not replacing coal===
A 2011 report by NC Warn, [http://www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/NCW-NuclearClimate_web.pdf "New Nuclear Power is Ruining Climate Protection Efforts and Harming Customers"], argues that companies like Progress Energy have said they want to lead the way to a “low carbon” future by building more nuclear power plants, but instead of replacing their coal-burning plants with nuclear power, the companies "plan to keep operating most or all of their coal plants indefinitely, while adding more nuclear (and fossil fuel) plants so they can expand electricity sales both within and outside the region."
The report states that "Progress Energy Florida plans to increase its generating capacity by a net 1,545 MW by 2020, bringing two new AP1000 reactors online, totaling 2,210 MW, at the Levy Coun- ty site. That project is now delayed until after the 2020 planning horizon. PEF plans to retire two older coal-fired units totaling 869 MW, or about 38% of its coal capacity. However, those retirements could well be reversed for any of three reasons:
# if delays and uncertainty continue with the company’s proposed nuclear project (recently a Florida regulator indicated that the project has been set back to a 2027 opening),12
# if CEO Bill Johnson repeats his recent announcement that in the Carolinas, he will alternatively burn coal and natural gas depending on contemporaneous prices, and
# if Progress Energy adopts, as expected, the expansionist business model of [[Duke Energy]], which is in the process of acquiring Progress Energy."<ref>Jim Warren, [http://www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/NCW-NuclearClimate_web.pdf "New Nuclear Power is Ruining Climate Protection Efforts and Harming Customers"] NC Warn, 2011 Report.</ref>
==Personnel==
