Florida Power & Light Co. and Progress Energy Florida won approval by the state on Monday to charge customers $294 million in costs for future nuclear facilities in 2013.
Which means your monthly FPL bill will go up by at least $2.59. Hooorrray, Florida!
On Tuesday, Florida's Public Service Commission approved a $246 million annual rate hike for FPL. The costs are linked with expanding two nuclear power plants in St. Lucie and Turkey Point.
Back in September, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy challenged the rate hike, calling it a "nuclear tax'" for reactors that would very likely never be built or fixed.
See also: Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Looking to Fight Off Rising Nuclear Power Costs for FPL Customers
FPL has disputed those claims, saying the reactor upgrades at the plants in St. Lucie and Turkey Point would be completed by the end of this year. It also claims that nuclear power saves everyone money in the long run because of low fuel expenses.
According to The Ledger, those nuclear reactors won't be built for a decade.
"This is an extremely unfortunate situation for utility customers in Florida who are being forced to pay this `nuclear tax' up front for electricity that will very likely never be produced from proposed new reactors," said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
The five-member Public Service Commission is also considering FPL's proposal to increase its base rates by $4.10 in January and $1.74 in June.
These figures are for customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours in a month. Currently FPL serves 4.5 million customers in South Florida and along the state's east coast.
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