JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved JEA’s need for additional power to support construction of a combined‑cycle plant at the former St. Johns River Power Park site, a move officials said keeps the project on schedule to begin operations in 2031.
The 675‑megawatt SJRPP 3 facility will help JEA meet Northeast Florida’s growing energy needs with reliable generation, the utility said.
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“This approval is a significant step forward in our commitment to providing Jacksonville residents with reliable, sustainable power for generations to come,” Jody Brooks, JEA interim managing director and CEO, said.
The JEA board approved plans for the combined‑cycle plant in August 2025. Combined‑cycle generation uses both gas and steam turbines to produce as much as 50 percent more electricity from the same fuel than a traditional simple‑cycle plant, improving efficiency and cutting carbon dioxide emissions per megawatt‑hour.
The new plant would replace and/or augment output now provided by the 49‑year‑old Northside Generation Station Unit 3, a natural‑gas unit, improving system efficiency and reliability as demand grows.
JEA said it has reduced carbon emissions by 53 percent since 2007 through measures including the closing of the St. Johns River Power Park coal‑fired plant and the decommissioning of Plant Scherer Unit 4 in Juliette, Georgia. A combined‑cycle plant, the utility said, would help continue that trend.