US utility Duke Energy has announced proposals to invest a total of $6 billion in a package of “smarter energy” infrastructure projects including battery storage in Florida— after cancelling plans to build two nuclear plants.
Duke said its proposals, filed with the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC), include a four-year plan to invest in a pilot 50MW battery storage scheme project, smart meters, grid modernisation and the installation of “more than 500” electric vehicle charging stations.
The FPSC is expected to issue a decision on the proposals by the end of this year. If Duke gets the green light, it will start work in January 2018. The proposals include building a 74.9MW solar plant in Florida, Duke’s sixth in the state.
Duke confirmed on 29 August it was dropping plans to build the Levy nuclear plant on Florida’s Gulf Coast— just days after announcing it was halting the proposed development of another nuclear plant, W. S. Lee, in South Carolina.
Duke had previously planned to order reactor units for both nuclear sites from Toshiba-owned Westinghouse, which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US earlier this year.
