Gulf Power saw its coal generation share fall to 27.7% in September, down from 33.2% in August and 53.2% in the year-ago month, according to a state regulatory filing.
Coal burn was at 95,515 st in September, which generated 157,702 MWh of power, down from 129,285 st in August, or 218,874 MWh. The burn was also down from 216,692 st, or 465,162 MWh, in the year-ago month, according to a filing published Oct. 21 by the Florida Public Service Commission.
Natural gas' mix was at 70.3%, or 481,639 MWh, in September, up from 64.7% in August and 46.7% in the year-ago month.
In September, Gulf Power's average fuel cost for coal was $52.98/st, down from $59.54/st in August and $66.56/st in the year-ago month.
Heat rate efficiency for coal was at 10,894 Btu/KWh in September, while gas was at 8,099 Btu/KWh, resulting in dispatch prices of roughly $32.30/MWh and $21.40/MWh, respectively. In August, coal's dispatch price was $34.70/MWh and gas' price was $23.60/MWh, while in the year-ago month, coal was at $31.10/MWh and gas at $24.60/MWh.
Through the first nine months of 2020, the utility has burned 916,010 st of coal, down from 1.51 million st a year earlier. Since January, coal's generation mix is at 28.9% and gas is at 68.8%, compared with 53.4% and 46.3%, respectively, a year ago.
Gulf Power owns the Crist coal-fired power plant in Pensacola, Florida, as well as 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 rise on month
Excluding the Scherer plant, Gulf Power purchased 110,391 st of coal in September at an average price of $55.89/st, up from 89,581 st at $57.02/st in August, but down from 211,239 st at $63.75/st in the year-ago month.
The utility also bought $1.02 million worth of coal for the Scherer plant in September at an average cost of $2.88/MMBtu, compared with $461,887 worth of coal at $3.31/MMBtu in August and $3.09 million, or $2.65/MMBtu, in the year-ago month.
At the end of September, Gulf Power's coal stockpile, excluding the Scherer plant, was at 332,372 st, or 21 days of cover, compared with 317,496 st, or 20 days cover after August, and 418,427 st, or 26 days cover, at the end of September 2019.
The Scherer plant has 43 days of supply at the end of September, flat from August, but up from 39 days at the end of the year-ago month.
