Environmental groups challenge federal order keeping Orlando coal plant open
Three environmental groups are challenging a U.S. Department of Energy order that keeps Orlando's Stanton coal plant operating past its planned retirement date. The DOE cites potential electricity shortages, including rising demand from planned Florida data centers, as the reason for the extension. Opponents argue the plant is uneconomic, unnecessary given Orlando Utilities Commission's capacity, and will cost ratepayers more while worsening air quality.
The Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, and Florida Rising have filed a petition with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, challenging a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) order that mandates the continued operation of Unit 1 at Orlando's Curtis H. Stanton Coal Plant. The unit was scheduled for retirement in June, but the DOE ordered it to remain in service through at least November 30, citing potential electricity shortages.
The DOE's justification for extending the coal plant's operation includes an anticipated increase in electricity demand driven largely by new data centers planned for Florida. The department's 2025 long-term reliability assessment projects that data centers for AI and the digital economy will account for most of the projected increase in North American electricity demand over the next decade, with eight data centers planned for Florida by April 2026.
Environmental groups, however, contend that Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) records demonstrate sufficient generating capacity through 2034 without the coal unit. They argue that keeping the plant operational is unnecessary, costly, and detrimental to air quality in Central Florida. Ted Kelly, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund, stated that the plant is uneconomic and that ratepayers should not be forced to cover its operating costs, which the Sierra Club estimates at $233,560 per day.