INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Florida Power & Light, which said “no” two weeks ago, has now agreed to pay Indian River County nearly $300,000 to prepare emergency responders to serve its proposed power plant in Okeechobee County, even though Okeechobee County has legal first-response duties.
Indian River County Commissioner Tim Zorc made the argument for the payments at the April 5 county commission meeting, which was attended by FPL representatives. He said county taxpayers should not bear the costs of protecting a power plant outside the county. Providing protection, Zorc said, will stretch the county’s coverage area and resources and require training staff to respond safely and effectively to problems at the huge $1.2 billion natural gas-fired plant.
By FPL’s own estimates, emergency responders likely will be needed a dozen times during the two-year construction of the plant from 2017 to 2019, when 650 workers will be onsite. During regular operation, when 30 workers will be onsite, FPL estimates there will be three emergency calls a year.
The biggest concern, Zorc said, besides keeping IRC taxpayers from paying to protect the power plant while Okeechobee County receives the benefit of FPL’s property taxes, is lack of familiarity with servicing a facility of this kind.
Two one-time payments from FPL are meant to address these issues.
A $90,000 payment will compensate IRC for stretching its emergency and firefighter ranks thin to respond during construction and operation of the power plant. The county will give annual accountings of the fund’s use until it is expended.
A second one-time $200,000 payment will compensate the county for sending its 200 emergency and firefighter staff to FPL-provided training. Half the staff will go to the first training and the other half to the second, with overtime paid to the home team covering for the away team. Travel and food expenses will also be paid from this fund.
FPL had already agreed to pay IRC “for extraordinary emergency expenses or services, including but not limited to those related to hazardous materials events.” That agreement remains in place.
Known as Okeechobee Clean Energy Center Unit 1, the power plant will be located inside Okeechobee County, within a mile or two of the Indian River County border.
The plant will use natural gas-fired turbines and steam to generate 1,600 megawatts of power, enough to power 1.6 million homes. Backup fuel oil will be stored in a 7 million-gallon tank onsite, to be used if there is a disruption in gas service, “and for periodic testing,” according to FPL spokesman David McDermitt.
Zorc said there is need for a hazmat response team standing by, which IRC has in place but Okeechobee does not.
