CLEARWATER, Fla. — The city of Clearwater has been examining the idea of dropping Duke Energy as its power carrier since last year.
But on Wednesday, a consultant for the city said it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to buy Duke Energy’s equipment and run its own municipal power.
Clearwater has been working for a year and a half to explore its energy options. A feasibility study, paid for by the city, showed, “The Clearwater (municipal electric utility) could provide service to its customers at a lower annual average cost than Duke.”
But to get there, the study indicated the city would have to spend around $572 million to acquire Duke’s Clearwater assets.
Duke, meanwhile, paid for its own study, which estimated a much higher cost at more than $1 billion.
On its website, Duke made itself clear on the situation, saying “our system is not for sale.”
“Separating Clearwater from the electric grid is complex, risky and would take years,” said Duke spokesperson Ana Gibbs. “We value our relationship with the city and out customers, and firmly believe renewing the franchise agreement is the in the best interest of the city and its citizens.”
City officials say they plan to continue discussing the issue in July.