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Making MacDill more resilient
Lloyd Sowers reports
TAMPA, Fla. - MacDill Air Force Base plays a big role in the Tampa Bay area's economy, but even more importantly, it's critical to national security. Now, there's a new plan to give the military base more resilience in the event of a local or national emergency.
It's a plan that's been in the works for more than a decade, and it's a new way to make sure MacDill has electrical power no matter what. Tampa Electric and base officials announced plans Tuesday for a new power station to be built on the northwest corner of MacDill.
"Once completed, this will be the largest energy assurance lease the Air Force has ever completed in the entire Air Force's history," said Col. Adam Bingham, base commander.
READ: 'It's not just a school': Tinker School brings military children together on MacDill AFB
It will be much smaller than TECO's Big Bend Power Plant to the south on Tampa Bay, but the new natural gas-powered station will allow the base to be energy independent if necessary.
"We will have the ability to disconnect the base from our grid, close the doors, and this station will serve as a dedicated resource for MacDill," said Archie Collins, the president and CEO of TECO.
TECO will pay nearly $200 million to build the plant, which has been talked about for more than a decade. Company officials said it will be partially operational by early 2025 and the project will be completed by the end of 2026.
A Tampa Electric spokesperson said it will also provide additional resiliency to neighborhoods around the military base.