Tampa, FL — On Friday, Tampa Electric filed their 10-year plan with the state, outlining the utility’s power needs and power generation plans for the next decade. Under the plan, the utility will not be moving off fracked gas at all within the next 10 years — by 2032, polluting fracked gas will be responsible for 78.1% of Tampa Electric’s total energy generation. This continued reliance on costly fossil fuels could drive higher energy bills for residents and businesses.

Key components of Tampa Electric’s 10-year plan unveiled Friday include:

• An increasing reliance on natural gas for energy production, rising to 78.1% by 2032. This is an increase of 1.4 percentage points from 2021 levels.
• Total natural gas-based electricity generation will, for the most part, steadily rise over the next 10-years.
• TECO will further entrench reliance on fossil fuels via investment in new natural gas combined cycle units. These investments will continue through 2030.

The Public Service Commission will hold public workshops on Tampa Electric’s ten-year site plan before approving, editing or denying it later this year.

In response, Food & Water Watch Senior Florida Organizer Brooke Ward issued the following statement:

“The mounting climate and rate crises are hitting Tampanians hard. As our energy bills rise, so too does the sea level. Tampa Electric’s dangerous reliance on dirty fracked gas takes us in the wrong direction. The utility’s lethargic response to these combined crises indicates a tragic commitment to profits over people — it’s time for our elected officials to right this wrong. We call on the Hillsborough County Commission to intervene on behalf of their constituents in proceedings regarding Tampa Electric’s 10-year plan. It’s time to get off gas in Hillsborough County.”

Top scientists are crystal clear that a prompt reduction of fossil fuel extraction and burning is critical to climate action. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report only underlines this fact. What’s more, Food & Water Watch research has found that only curbing fossil fuels will let renewables deliver on their potential. Tampa Electric’s continued reliance on fracked gas undermines their own efforts to ramp up renewable energy production.

This continued reliance on fossil fuels is likely to result in further rate hikes for residents and businesses. High fossil fuel costs are responsible for the latest energy bill increases that went into effect April 1. Since 2020, the price of gas has tripled, and since January 2019, the average Tampa Electric bill has increased 62%. Renewables are proven to deliver cheaper electricity than fossil fuels like fracked gas.

Time to face it —~it’s people or plastics.~We can’t have both.

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