Wayne T. Price

FLORIDA TODAY

Florida Power & Light on Tuesday filed paperwork with the state's Public Service Commission seeking a rate reduction for its customers.

If approved, which is likely, it will cut a typical residential household's monthly bill by about $1.65 a month beginning April 1. That's based on a 1,000-kilowatt monthly usage.

The Juno Beach-based utility said operating efficiency and using more natural gas versus other fuels to power electricity-generating turbines is mostly behind the rate reduction. Customer bills in April will be $16 less than they were a decade ago if regulators approve FPL's proposed rate plan.

FPL chief says lower prices to stay around for awhile

“Our long-term strategy of investing in fuel-efficient modernizations, including phasing out old, oil-fired power plants and replacing them with advanced clean energy centers that run on clean, low-cost, U.S.-produced natural gas, continues to pay off meaningfully for our customers,” Eric Silagy, president and chief executive of FPL said in a statement. “Today, our typical customer bills are more than 15 percent lower than they were a decade ago, and our continued investments in fuel efficiency will help keep fuel costs low over the long-term.”

The company also said Tuesday that its Port Everglades Next Generation Clean Energy Center is expected to enter service on April 1, "bringing the benefits of high-efficiency natural gas generation to customers approximately two months ahead of schedule and on budget."

FPL is the state's largest utility with 4.5 million customers, including 286,000 customer accounts in Brevard County.

Contact Price at 321-242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Fla2dayBiz.

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