Duke Energy Completes 74.9-MW Florida Solar Project

• Duke Energy Florida completes the 74.9‑MW Jumper Creek solar complex in Sumter County—boosting Florida’s utility-scale solar pipeline and supporting 900 MW of new solar by 2028.

Duke Energy Florida has finalized the 74.9-MW Jumper Creek solar complex in Sumter County, adding to the state’s growing utility-scale solar pipeline. The project is part of Duke Energy Florida’s plan to deploy 900 MW of new solar generation in Florida by the end of 2028, expanding the company’s renewable portfolio.

The utility expects the facility to produce enough clean power to serve thousands of homes, while reducing carbon emissions and helping control long-term fuel costs. Duke Energy continues investing in solar, grid modernization, battery storage, and transmission upgrades as electricity demand rises.

What does Duke Energy Florida’s 74.9-MW Jumper Creek solar project mean for 2028 goals?

• It directly adds 74.9 MW of utility-scale solar capacity, narrowing the gap between Duke Energy Florida’s current pipeline and its end-of-2028 target of 900 MW of new solar.
  
• It strengthens the company’s ability to meet growing summertime and annual load by diversifying generation away from fuel-dependent plants—an increasingly important factor as demand rises through 2028.
  
• It supports portfolio decarbonization by adding renewable output that can displace a portion of fossil generation, contributing to emissions-reduction efforts associated with the 2028 goals.
  
• It helps manage long-term electricity costs by replacing some future generation from market-purchased or fuel-priced sources with power produced through a renewable asset with more predictable operating costs over time.
• It improves grid planning momentum: building and operating Jumper Creek provides real-world data on performance, interconnection behavior, and integration needs—useful for scaling additional projects before 2028.
  
• It reinforces Duke Energy Florida’s broader clean-energy buildout strategy often paired with solar, such as battery storage and transmission upgrades, which can be critical for maintaining reliability as more solar comes online.
• It demonstrates delivery capability—moving a major project from development to completion—helping de-risk the remaining schedule needed to reach the 2028 solar milestone.
  
• It contributes local economic and infrastructure benefits in Sumter County (e.g., construction-related activity and ongoing facility operations), which can improve stakeholder support for further development through 2028.
  
• It increases the amount of renewable energy available during daytime hours, which can be a key contributor to meeting customer demand patterns as Florida’s electricity needs evolve toward 2028.