Florida Power & Light got approval Monday from state utility regulators to develop a 79-mile transmission line northwest of Lake Okeechobee.
In a brief meeting, the Public Service Commission approved the need for the project, which will link the Sweatt Substation in Okeechobee County to the Whidden Substation in DeSoto County.
Commission Chairman Andrew Fay said in a prepared statement that the project will “enhance system reliability, increase power transfer capability and meet local area load requirements for FPL customers.”
The project will include about 21 miles of a new 230-kilovolt transmission line in Okeechobee County and upgrading a 69-kilovolt line to a 230-kilovolt line in Okeechobee, Highlands, and DeSoto counties.
The project, which requires sign-off from the Department of Environmental Protection under the state’s Transmission Line Siting Act, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.