Big Bend Power Station is a major

coal-fired power plant A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts capacity. They generate about a th ...

, located across

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

from

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, USA, on nearly in southwestern Hillsborough County, close to

Apollo Beach Apollo Beach is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 14,055 at the 2010 census, up from 7,444 at the 2000 census. Geography Apollo Beach is located in southern Hillsborough ...

. It is owned and operated by

TECO Energy TECO Energy Inc. is an energy-related holding company based in Tampa, Florida, and a subsidiary of Emera Incorporated. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric Company, which provides electricity to the Tampa Bay Area and parts of ...

. Three similar units (each 445.5

MWe The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Watt ...

nameplate capacity) were launched in the early 1970s, followed by a newer 486-MWe unit 4 in 1985.

Flue-gas desulfurization

The

scrubber Scrubber systems (e.g. chemical scrubbers, gas scrubbers) are a diverse group of air pollution control devices that can be used to remove some particulates and/or gases from industrial exhaust streams. An early application of a carbon dioxide scr ...

for Unit 4 began operation in 1984, and since 1995, has simultaneously scrubbed Unit 3 as well. The scrubber for Units 1 and 2 began operation at the end of 1999. According to

, the scrubber system removes 95% of

sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activ ...

from all four units.

Manatees

During the winter months, warm-water outfalls from the station draw dozens of West Indian manatees, an endangered species, to the immediate vicinity of the plant. In 1986, TECO set aside a manatee viewing area which is accessible to the public.

Upgrade to Big Bend Unit 1 and retirement of Unit 2

In 2018, Tampa Electric announced several major upgrades for Big Bend Power Station. The company plans to modernize Unit 1 to use natural gas combined-cycle technology by 2023, a project that will enable the unit to generate 1,090 MW while eliminating coal as a fuel source. Big Bend Unit 2 will be retired in 2021 after nearly 50 years of service. This upgrade will give Tampa Electric a generation portfolio in 2023 of 75 percent natural gas, 12 percent coal, about 7 percent solar, and about 6 percent other sources. The clean, warm-water discharge at the station that provides a sanctuary for manatees at the adjacent Manatee Viewing Center will remain.

Solar power

Directly to the southeast of Big Bend Power Station, Tampa Electric’s 23 MW photovoltaic array features more than 200,000 thin-film solar panels. Built on 106 acres of company-owned land, the solar array was the largest of its kind in the Tampa Bay area when it was completed in 2017. This is part of the company’s large-scale solar power initiative that calls for a total of 600 MW of new solar power to be operational at photovoltaic sites around the Tampa Bay area by 2023. TECO is also building a 1 MW

floating solar Floating solar or floating photovoltaics (FPV), sometimes called floatovoltaics, is solar panels mounted on a structure that floats on a body of water, typically a reservoir or a lake. The market for this renewable energy technology has grown rap ...

array on a pond at the plant.

Accident

On 29 June 2017, molten slag from a coal boiler killed 5 and injured 1. Safety rules were ignored as they tried to clear a blockage. The blockage burst and rained down molten slag upon them.

References

External links

{{commons category, Big Bend Power Station
Plant homepage at TECO Energy websiteManatee Viewing Center

Data on generation and fuel consumption
from the

Energy Information Administration The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and publ ...

Electricity Data Browser Buildings and structures in Hillsborough County, Florida Coal-fired power stations in Florida Energy infrastructure completed in 1969 1969 establishments in Florida Emera