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|logo = [[Image:TECO Logo Emera 2017.png|200px|TECO Energy]] |
|logo = [[Image:TECO Logo Emera 2017.png|200px|TECO Energy]] |
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|type = [[Subsidiary]] |
|type = [[Subsidiary]] |
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|key_people = |
|key_people = Archie Collins {{small|(CEO Tampa Electric Company)}}<br /> |
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Helen Wesley {{small|(President Peoples Gas Company)}}<br /> |
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|industry = Electric & Gas Utilities |
|industry = Electric & Gas Utilities |
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| area_served = [[Florida]] |
| area_served = [[Florida]] |
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[[File:Big Bend Power Station.jpg|thumb|right|250px|TECO's [[Big Bend Power Station]]]] |
[[File:Big Bend Power Station.jpg|thumb|right|250px|TECO's [[Big Bend Power Station]]]] |
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'''TECO Energy Inc.''' is an energy-related holding company based in [[Tampa]], [[Florida]], and a subsidiary of [[Emera Incorporated]]. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric |
'''TECO Energy Inc.''' is an energy-related holding company based in [[Tampa]], [[Florida]], and a subsidiary of [[Emera Incorporated]]. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric, which provides electricity to the [[Tampa Bay Area]] and parts of [[Central Florida]]; Peoples Gas Company,{{Efn|no relation to the [[People's Energy|Chicago-based company]] of the same name}} which provides natural gas throughout Florida; and TECO Services, which provides IT, HR, legal, facilities, and other services to current and former TECO subsidiaries. Previously the company was in the [[S&P 500]] before it became private due its acquisition by Emera. |
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Tampa Electric is one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities. It serves more than 830,000 customers in West Central Florida. |
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Peoples Gas System Inc. is Florida’s largest natural gas distribution utility, serving nearly 470,000 homes and businesses across the state. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Tampa Electric began in 1899 to manage electric trolley systems in the city of Tampa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/teco-energy-inc-history/|title=History of TECO ENERGY, INC. – FundingUniverse|website=www.fundinguniverse.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-11}}</ref> On September 4, 2015, [[Emera]], a utility holding company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, announced the pending acquisition of TECO Energy. That purchase closed on July 1, 2016, and TECO Energy, Inc. is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera, Inc. |
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In 1899, Colonel Peter O. Knight created Tampa Electric Company to serve the energy needs of a growing Tampa community. |
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In 1903, a steam generating plant, renamed the Peter O. Knight Station in 1969, was built on Jackson Street, and by 1906, the first turbo-generator was installed. At the dawn of the 20th Century, Tampa Electric Company promoted such conveniences as electric lights and fans, and over more than 20 miles of track connecting Tampa, Ybor City and Ballast Point. |
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Modern downtown offices were opened in 1914 at the corner of Cass and Tampa Street. At the end of the century, Tampa Electric and parent company, TECO Energy, employed more than 5,000 men and women in six states and South America.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/historical_architecture_main/4521/ | title=TECO (Tampa Electric Company) Energy Marker, Tampa, FL | journal=George Lansing Taylor Collection Main Gallery | date=May 2011 | last1=Taylor | first1=George }}</ref> |
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On September 4, 2015, [[Emera]], a utility holding company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, announced the pending acquisition of TECO Energy. That purchase closed on July 1, 2016, and TECO Energy, Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera, Inc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Emera completes acquisition of TECO Energy, which will still be called TECO Energy |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/emeras-acquisition-of-teco-energy-to-close-today/2283757/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref> |
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==Environmental record== |
==Environmental record== |
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In late 2021, Tampa Electric announced its vision for its power plants to achieve a net zero carbon emission future by 2050. |
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| ⚫ | On July 6, 2019 |
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As part of its initiative, Tampa Electric will increase the use of zero/low-carbon technologies, which will improve renewable energy capabilities. Tampa Electric plans to invest in emerging technologies, such as carbon capture, biofuels, hydrogen, wind turbines and battery storage. The utility will pilot new concepts, such as delivering renewable energy at the community level and will continue its partnership with the University of South Florida to develop innovative ideas and technologies to aid its pursuit of a net zero future. |
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| ⚫ | In 2017 TECO had an explosion at its Big Bend power plant near Tampa, Florida killing |
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In addition to pursuing emerging technologies and concepts, Tampa Electric will continue working to improve existing power stations through improved technology and move away from coal usage. For example, Big Bend’s Unit 1 will become a combined-cycle natural gas unit. The modernization of power plants improves the generation efficiency of fuel, lowering both emissions and fuel costs for customers. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://dailyenergyinsider.com/news/32668-tampa-electric-outlines-its-vision-for-net-zero-carbon-emissions/ | title=Tampa Electric outlines its vision for net zero carbon emissions | date=10 November 2021 }}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | In 2000, TECO Energy was fined $3.5 million for making changes to emissions producing facilities without installing new updated [[pollution]] controls. This led to the switch from [[coal]] to [[natural gas]] in one of its plants by 2004 and optimization of [[pollution]] controls in another. These changes were enacted to drastically cut [[Air pollution|emissions]], notably [[sulfur dioxide]] and [[nitrogen oxide]] emissions.<ref> |
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Tampa Electric invested $5 million in 2022 to the University of South Florida's College of Engineering's Clean Energy Research Center in an effort to meet its target of having net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/tampa-electric-investing-5m-in-usfs-clean-energy-research-center-to-reach-net-zero-emissions-by-2050 | title=Tampa Electric investing $5M in USF's Clean Energy Research Center to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 | date=6 September 2022 }}</ref> |
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TECO Energy completed a $330 million emissions control project in 2010, which made its Big Bend Power Station one of the cleanest coal-fired power plants in the nation. The renovation reduced [[nitrogen oxide]] emissions at the plant by approximately 91 percent from levels recorded in 1998.<ref>[http://www.tecoenergy.com/news/article/index.cfm?article=418 Tampa Electric Completes First Phase of a $330 Million Air Pollution Control Project (released 5 Jun 2007)] retrieved 6 May 2008</ref> |
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Researchers at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] in 2006 identified TECO Energy as the 37th-largest corporate producer of [[air pollution]] in the United States in 2002, with roughly 11 million pounds of toxic chemicals released annually into the air.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Kim |date=2016-05-10 |title=Toxic 100 Air Polluters Index: 2004 Report, Based on 2002 data |url=https://peri.umass.edu/toxic-100-air-polluters-index-2004-report-based-on-2002-data |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=PERI |language=en-gb}}</ref> Major pollutants indicated by the study included [[hydrochloric acid]], [[sulfuric acid]], [[chromium]] compounds, [[arsenic]] compounds, and [[nickel]] compounds.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Since 1998, TECO has invested $1.2 billion in improvements to the company's systems, including the re-powering of the previously coal-fired Bayside Power Station to [[natural gas]] and the addition of [[pollution]] controls on a second, reducing |
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sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 91 percent and carbon dioxide levels by 20 percent from 1998 levels.<ref>[http://www.tampaelectric.com/news/article/index.cfm?article=421 TECO Energy leaders to participate in climate change summit (released 11 Jul 2007)] retrieved 8 May 2008</ref> |
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| ⚫ | In 2000, TECO Energy was fined $3.5 million for making changes to emissions producing facilities without installing new updated [[pollution]] controls. This led to the switch from [[coal]] to [[natural gas]] in one of its plants by 2004 and optimization of [[pollution]] controls in another. These changes were enacted to drastically cut [[Air pollution|emissions]], notably [[sulfur dioxide]] and [[nitrogen oxide]] emissions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US EPA |first=OECA |date=2013-05-09 |title=Tampa Electric Company (TECO) Clean Air Act (CAA) Settlement |url=https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/tampa-electric-company-teco-clean-air-act-caa-settlement |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=www.epa.gov |language=en}}</ref> |
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On September 28, 2017, TECO announced it was adding 600 MW of solar to its electricity-producing portfolio.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/28/tampa-electric-proposes-building-600-mw-of-solar-pv/|title=Tampa Electric proposes building 600 MW of solar PV|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | On July 6, 2019, People's Gas, a division of Tampa Electric Company,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Switalski |first1=Caitlin |last2=Fox |first2=Madeline |date=2019-07-06 |title=Suspected Gas Explosion Injures At Least 23 People At Plantation Shopping Mall |url=https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/2019-07-06/suspected-gas-explosion-injures-at-least-23-people-at-plantation-shopping-mall |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=WUSF Public Media |language=en}}</ref> was accused of causing an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida, known as the Market on University. The allegations by plaintiff’s attorneys claim People's Gas failed to close and lock a gas line after a customer request dating back to December 2018. The failure to close and lock the gas line is a violation of Federal law and Florida law. Peoples/TECO claims that a computer program cancelled the shutoff order unbeknownst to the utility. The computer error caused hundreds of gas line shutoff orders to be cancelled system wide. TECO/Peoples also blame the owner of the shopping center for not capping the gas line when the tenant removed a gas pizza oven. Over 60 lawsuits were filed in response to the explosion many of which remain pending.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gas leak suspected in explosion that rocked South Florida shopping center, injuring 23 |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/gas-leak-suspected-in-explosion-that-rocked-south-florida-shopping-center-injuring-23-20190708/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | In 2017, TECO had an explosion at its Big Bend power plant near Tampa, Florida killing five workers who were performing a dangerous procedure water jetting molten slag in a coal fired furnace. The workers were killed because an explosion occurred. TECO experienced the same type of accident 10 years prior and developed a policy to prevent future accidents but allegedly failed to train workers on the safety policy. In May 2022, TECO pleaded guilty to violating an OSHA safety regulation requiring a meeting to ensure workers are properly trained that would have prevented the deaths of the 5 workers. In August 2022 TECO was sentenced to a $500,000 fine and 3 years of probation. TECO admitted that it willfully violated an OSHA safety regulation as part of its guilty plea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TECO gets $500,000 fine, probation in 2017 explosion that killed 5 in Tampa Bay |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2022/08/19/teco-gets-500000-fine-probation-in-2017-explosion-that-killed-5-in-tampa-bay/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-19 |title=Florida Power Company Sentenced in Worker Death Case |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-power-company-sentenced-worker-death-case |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=www.justice.gov |language=en}}</ref> {{pb}} |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[List of power stations in Florida]] |
*[[List of power stations in Florida]] |
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*[[TECO Line Streetcar]] |
*[[TECO Line Streetcar|TECO Line Streetcar (No longer operated by TECO)]] |
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*''[[Tampa Electric Co. v. Nashville Coal Co.]]'' |
*''[[Tampa Electric Co. v. Nashville Coal Co.]]'' |
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==References== |
==References== |
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'''Informational notes''' |
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{{Notelist}} |
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'''Citations''' |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-power-company-sentenced-worker-death-case |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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[[Category:1899 establishments in Florida]] |
[[Category:1899 establishments in Florida]] |
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[[Category:Emera]] |
[[Category:Emera]] |
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[[Category:Energy in Florida]] |
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Latest revision as of 10:27, 28 August 2024
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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric & Gas Utilities |
| Founded | 1899 |
| Headquarters | Tampa, Florida, United States |
Area served | Florida |
Key people | Archie Collins (CEO Tampa Electric Company) Helen Wesley (President Peoples Gas Company) |
Number of employees | 3,713 |
| Parent | Emera |
| Website | www |
TECO Energy Inc. is an energy-related holding company based in Tampa, Florida, and a subsidiary of Emera Incorporated. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric, which provides electricity to the Tampa Bay Area and parts of Central Florida; Peoples Gas Company,[a] which provides natural gas throughout Florida; and TECO Services, which provides IT, HR, legal, facilities, and other services to current and former TECO subsidiaries. Previously the company was in the S&P 500 before it became private due its acquisition by Emera.
Tampa Electric is one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities. It serves more than 830,000 customers in West Central Florida.
Peoples Gas System Inc. is Florida’s largest natural gas distribution utility, serving nearly 470,000 homes and businesses across the state.
History
[edit]In 1899, Colonel Peter O. Knight created Tampa Electric Company to serve the energy needs of a growing Tampa community.
In 1903, a steam generating plant, renamed the Peter O. Knight Station in 1969, was built on Jackson Street, and by 1906, the first turbo-generator was installed. At the dawn of the 20th Century, Tampa Electric Company promoted such conveniences as electric lights and fans, and over more than 20 miles of track connecting Tampa, Ybor City and Ballast Point.
Modern downtown offices were opened in 1914 at the corner of Cass and Tampa Street. At the end of the century, Tampa Electric and parent company, TECO Energy, employed more than 5,000 men and women in six states and South America.[1]
On September 4, 2015, Emera, a utility holding company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, announced the pending acquisition of TECO Energy. That purchase closed on July 1, 2016, and TECO Energy, Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera, Inc.[2]
Environmental record
[edit]In late 2021, Tampa Electric announced its vision for its power plants to achieve a net zero carbon emission future by 2050.
As part of its initiative, Tampa Electric will increase the use of zero/low-carbon technologies, which will improve renewable energy capabilities. Tampa Electric plans to invest in emerging technologies, such as carbon capture, biofuels, hydrogen, wind turbines and battery storage. The utility will pilot new concepts, such as delivering renewable energy at the community level and will continue its partnership with the University of South Florida to develop innovative ideas and technologies to aid its pursuit of a net zero future.
In addition to pursuing emerging technologies and concepts, Tampa Electric will continue working to improve existing power stations through improved technology and move away from coal usage. For example, Big Bend’s Unit 1 will become a combined-cycle natural gas unit. The modernization of power plants improves the generation efficiency of fuel, lowering both emissions and fuel costs for customers. [3]
Tampa Electric invested $5 million in 2022 to the University of South Florida's College of Engineering's Clean Energy Research Center in an effort to meet its target of having net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. [4]
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2006 identified TECO Energy as the 37th-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States in 2002, with roughly 11 million pounds of toxic chemicals released annually into the air.[5] Major pollutants indicated by the study included hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, chromium compounds, arsenic compounds, and nickel compounds.[5]
In 2000, TECO Energy was fined $3.5 million for making changes to emissions producing facilities without installing new updated pollution controls. This led to the switch from coal to natural gas in one of its plants by 2004 and optimization of pollution controls in another. These changes were enacted to drastically cut emissions, notably sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.[6]
On July 6, 2019, People's Gas, a division of Tampa Electric Company,[7] was accused of causing an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida, known as the Market on University. The allegations by plaintiff’s attorneys claim People's Gas failed to close and lock a gas line after a customer request dating back to December 2018. The failure to close and lock the gas line is a violation of Federal law and Florida law. Peoples/TECO claims that a computer program cancelled the shutoff order unbeknownst to the utility. The computer error caused hundreds of gas line shutoff orders to be cancelled system wide. TECO/Peoples also blame the owner of the shopping center for not capping the gas line when the tenant removed a gas pizza oven. Over 60 lawsuits were filed in response to the explosion many of which remain pending.[8]
In 2017, TECO had an explosion at its Big Bend power plant near Tampa, Florida killing five workers who were performing a dangerous procedure water jetting molten slag in a coal fired furnace. The workers were killed because an explosion occurred. TECO experienced the same type of accident 10 years prior and developed a policy to prevent future accidents but allegedly failed to train workers on the safety policy. In May 2022, TECO pleaded guilty to violating an OSHA safety regulation requiring a meeting to ensure workers are properly trained that would have prevented the deaths of the 5 workers. In August 2022 TECO was sentenced to a $500,000 fine and 3 years of probation. TECO admitted that it willfully violated an OSHA safety regulation as part of its guilty plea.[9][10]
See also
[edit]- List of power stations in Florida
- TECO Line Streetcar (No longer operated by TECO)
- Tampa Electric Co. v. Nashville Coal Co.
References
[edit]Informational notes
- ^ no relation to the Chicago-based company of the same name
Citations
- ^ Taylor, George (May 2011). "TECO (Tampa Electric Company) Energy Marker, Tampa, FL". George Lansing Taylor Collection Main Gallery.
- ^ "Emera completes acquisition of TECO Energy, which will still be called TECO Energy". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "Tampa Electric outlines its vision for net zero carbon emissions". 10 November 2021.
- ^ "Tampa Electric investing $5M in USF's Clean Energy Research Center to reach net-zero emissions by 2050". 6 September 2022.
- ^ a b Weinstein, Kim (2016-05-10). "Toxic 100 Air Polluters Index: 2004 Report, Based on 2002 data". PERI. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ US EPA, OECA (2013-05-09). "Tampa Electric Company (TECO) Clean Air Act (CAA) Settlement". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Switalski, Caitlin; Fox, Madeline (2019-07-06). "Suspected Gas Explosion Injures At Least 23 People At Plantation Shopping Mall". WUSF Public Media. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "Gas leak suspected in explosion that rocked South Florida shopping center, injuring 23". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "TECO gets $500,000 fine, probation in 2017 explosion that killed 5 in Tampa Bay". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "Florida Power Company Sentenced in Worker Death Case". www.justice.gov. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-06-21.