Florida Comission tells FPL nuclear is not green

Florida's Public Service Commission recommended against including nuclear in the state's portfolio of green energy, according to a story today in the Palm Beach Post.

FPL had requested that the State allow it to count new nuclear energy toward its renewable obligation. "Currently FPL produces no renewable energy in Florida " by the State's standards, according to the Post. The newspaper reported that:

In a 75-page report the commission's staff did not wade into the debate over nuclear's impact on the environment but instead relied on the definition of "renewable energy" from Florida statutes. That definition includes hydrogen, biomass, solar, geothermal, wind, ocean, hydroelectric and waste heat as renewable energy sources.

The paper also reported that FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana wrote in an e-mail that were the State commission not to allow FPL to include nuclear in its required portfolio of renewable energy production, then "FPL will lobby the Legislature to include nuclear in the definition of renewable energy."

The full Palm Beach Post story is online here.