TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- For the first time in more than three decades, a U.S. power company received approval Tuesday for construction of a new nuclear plant.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink made the decision in a unanimous vote, the Miami Herald reported.
The nuclear plant is not expected to be operating until 2018. Progress Energy has requested a 30 percent increase in electricity rates to pay for its construction.
"It's a very, very important project. I am impressed with the passion of the opponents here today, but I want to assure them that I have spent a long time studying this issue," McCollum said. "We are going to have a tremendous demand for energy in the coming years. We're going to have to increase our capacity for electricity and power, and nuclear is a part of that."
Crist said Progress estimates 5,000 construction and long-term jobs will be created by the plant.
"We need to diversify our energy resources," Crist said. "The more diversified we are, the more opportunity we have to never suffer when one is less available than the other."
