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COPYRIGHT 2001 The Miami Herald
Byline: Gregg Fields
Apr. 24--Can Florida keep its lights on?
As regulators and environmentalists debate the fate of three power plants proposed for South Florida, some energy experts say the state faces potential problems with its future energy supplies.
"It wouldn't take a lot to create a problem -- a heat wave, a major disruption in a gas line or a lot of off-line maintenance problems," said Larry Makovich, senior director at Cambridge Energy Research Associates in Massachusetts.
Already, peak usage periods, such as extreme cold weather, have been known to spark brownouts and rolling shortages. Proposed new plants are running into some stiff political opposition. And an increasing reliance on a wholesale electricity market -- where power is sold to the highest bidder -- means consumers could end up paying more for the same level of service at times.
"You're not in a California crisis mode, but you're on the edge," Makovich said.
Electricity, of course, is vital to the economy. The very development of modern Florida is often credited to the advent of air conditioning.
State officials maintain that there is a 15 percent reserve supply, or...
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