Tampa Electric Company Purchases Five FT8 SWIFTPAC Gas Turbines

East Hartford, CT - Pratt & Whitney Power Systems, a United Technologies Corp. company, signed an agreement with Tampa Electric Company, a subsidiary of TECO Energy, Inc., for five 60- megawatt FT8 SWIFTPAC units.

The five units will provide 300 megawatts of reserve energy for use during periods of high electricity demand. Four units will be located at the Bayside Power Station and one unit will be located at the Big Bend Power Station, both located in the Tampa area. Delivery will start in the fourth quarter 2008, with commercial operation planned for summer 2009. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"We are pleased to support the energy needs of Tampa Electric's customers," said Peter Christman, president, Pratt & Whitney Power Systems. "The SWIFTPAC offers a flexible operating configuration and a low-cost solution for Tampa's peaking power needs."

The FT8 series is a derivative of Pratt & Whitney's JT8D aircraft engine, one of the most successful in aviation history. The FT8 gas turbine leverages the experience of the JT8D while incorporating updated technologies to generate power with less noise, lower emissions and higher base-load and part-load efficiency using natural gas fuel. The FT8 has been in production since 1991 and operates at more than 70 customer sites worldwide, with over 300 units installed or on order. The FT8 fleet has accumulated over 2 million hours of operation.

SOURCE: Pratt & Whitney Power Systems