Tampa Electric Company is making a change to cleaner energy with its Big Bend Modernization Project in its power plant in Apollo Beach.  

Currently, a total of five energy-producing units are in place at the power plant. The units generate electric power from both coal and natural gas. 

However, with this new project, they will use less coal to generate electricity, use less water as a part of the process, produce less wastewater and reduce air emissions.  

The Big Bend Modernization Project is estimated to cost about a billion dollars in total and would convert the coal-fired power plant into a plant powered predominantly by methane gas.  

TECO’s plan to change to a greener energy source would reduce the amount of toxic pollution to the air and water that is produced by the plant.  

According to TECO, the company provides power to more than 750,000 customers in West Florida. TECO making the switch over to a more environmentally friendly energy source will influence other corporations to consider it as well, since they are such a large company.  

A public hearing for the issue was held March 11 at 5:00 p.m. at the Riverview Hilton Garden Inn. An administrative law judge will rule on the issue in May, and governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida cabinet will have the final decision in July.  

The conversation about clean energy is becoming a greater topic of discussion today, as companies like TECO begin to invest time and money into these new greener technologies.  

In the past few years, people and companies have become more aware of their effect on the environment, especially the harmful waste products and pollution that comes from large factories and energy producing plants like TECO. 

With this modernization project TECO hopes to establish, their rate of pollution in the environment will greatly decrease, and this step they are taking will promote movement towards cleaner energy.