FPL Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Group , today announced it will build, own and operate a 624-megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant in Calhoun County in northeastern Alabama.

Electricity generated at the new power plant, which will have the capacity to power approximately 500,000 homes in the region, will be sold primarily under contract to Alabama Power Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company.

The new clean energy facility, named the Calhoun Energy Center, will operate as a "peaking" facility. That means it will operate primarily during periods of high electricity demand, for example, from mid-morning to early evening in the high heat and humidity typical of Alabama summers.

Construction of the simple-cycle combustion turbine facility is targeted to begin later this year, with an anticipated completion date in the summer of 2003. The site is located in Bynum, just outside of Anniston, Alabama.

"We are pleased to enter the Alabama market with the construction of the Calhoun Energy Center. This project will support growth in the region, while capitalizing on an ideal site, close to power demand, an existing electric transmission system and a natural gas transportation system," said FPL Energy President Lew Hay. "We are supporting Alabama Power's needs for additional electricity in the region as they reach out to spur economic development in the area."

FPL Energy is a leading independent producer of clean energy, including natural gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric. It owns and operates power plants with more than 4,100 total net megawatts -- 80% of which comes from clean energy sources -- in 12 states across the country. Given current development activities, FPL Energy expects to have more than 9,000 megawatts in operation by 2003.

FPL Group, with annual revenues of more than $7 billion, is one of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related services. FPL Group's principal subsidiary is Florida Power & Light Company, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving approximately 3.9 million customer accounts in Florida. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.fplenergy.com/, http://www.fplgroup.com/ and http://www.fpl.com/.

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SOURCE: FPL Energy, LLC