BIG BEND

How BIG BEND compares

With 1,885 MW of capacity, BIG BEND ranks 11th among the 110 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Florida and 2nd of the 8 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 16% of Florida's operating Coal capacity and 3.0% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 38th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1970, it is older than 85% of the 108 operating Florida plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, TAMPA ELECTRIC CO, runs 3 operating plants in Florida totaling 5,208 MW. It shares Hillsborough County with 6 other operating plants, including H L CULBREATH BAYSIDE POWER STATION and MOSAIC CO TAMPA FACILITY.

Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 7 generators at the site with 1,829 MW of nameplate capacity. Net generation was 7,169 GWh in 2024 (a 45% capacity factor), about 2.5 times its 2022 output. Its generators came online between 1970 and 2021.

Grid neighborhood

The nearest named substation is LAKE TARPON (500 kV), about 23.8 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 12 operating power plants totaling 7,322 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is MANATEE (2,951 MW, Natural Gas). Within 50 miles are 3 mapped data centers; the nearest is WOW! Business (Tampa Datacenter) in Tampa, about 11.0 miles away.

Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology