Gulf Power's coal generation share rises to 21.7% in May: filing

Houston — Gulf Power saw its coal generation share climb to 21.7% in May, up from 2.1% in April, but down from 76.5% in the year-ago month, according to a state regulatory filing.

Coal burn was at 79,162 st in May, which generated 134,606 MWh, compared with 12,076 st burned in April, or 9,481 MWh. The burn was down from 224,142 st, or 408,796 MWh, in the year-ago month, according to a filing published by the Florida Public Service Commission June 23.

Natural gas' mix was at 75%, or 461,252 MWh, in May, compared with 93.4% in April and 23.2% in May 2019.

In May, Gulf Power's average fuel cost for coal was $65.78/st, down from $78.31/st in April and $67.80/st in the year-ago month.

Heat rate efficiency for coal was at 13,009 Btu/KWh in May, while gas was at 7,248 Btu/KWh, resulting in dispatch prices of roughly $39.80/MWh and $19.10/MWh, respectively. In April, coal's dispatch price was $119.50/MWh and gas' price was $19.40/MWh, while in May last year, coal was at $36.70/MWh and gas at $31.40/MWh.

Through the first five months of 2020, the utility has burned 701,394 st of coal, down from 1.33 million st a year earlier. Since January, coal's generation mix is at 24.9% and gas is at 72.7%, compared with 51.4% and 48.3%, respectively, a year ago.

Gulf Power owns the Crist coal-fired power plant in Pensacola, Florida, a 50% ownership of Mississippi Power's Daniel plant in Escatawpa, Mississippi and a 25% stake in one generating unit at Georgia Power's Scherer plant in Juliette, Georgia.

Coal purchases

Excluding the Scherer plant, Gulf Power purchased 39,975 st of coal in May at an average price of $58.31/st, compared with 27,823 st at $86.18/st in April and 222,558 st at $64.55/st in the year-ago month.

The utility also bought $472,212 worth of coal for the Scherer plant in May at an average cost of $2.57/MMBtu, compared with $450,913 worth of coal at $2.78/MMBtu in May last year.

At the end of May, Gulf Power's coal stockpile, excluding the Scherer plant, was at 489,739 st, or 31 days of cover, compared with 528,926 st, or 33 days cover after April, and 476,470 st, or 30 days cover, at the end of May 2019.

The Scherer plant had 65 days of supply at the end of May, up from 62 days after April and 47 days at the end of the year-ago month.