Clean Energy Portfolios Can Provide Reliable, Affordable Energy for Jacksonville

RMI analysis indicates that clean energy portfolios—combining solar, storage, and energy efficiency—are lower cost and lower risk than JEA's proposed gas plant. While JEA's 2023 estimates suggested gas was the cheapest option, updated capital costs (which have risen by 139%) and fuel price projections suggest a gas plant could cost $4.8 billion in NPV. In contrast, CEPs are estimated to cost between $2.1 and $3.4 billion depending on energy efficiency levels. Additionally, the gas plant is projected to cause over $1 billion in negative health effects across Florida, whereas CEPs could generate up to $757 million in local economic benefits and thousands of jobs.

• Clean energy portfolios (CEPs) are generally more cost-effective than the proposed gas plant. Over 80% of CEP scenarios are less expensive when excluding outdated low-cost gas assumptions, and 91% are lower cost when compared specifically to JEA's August 2025 projected capital costs.
• The projected costs for JEA's gas plant have increased significantly since 2023. Recent capital cost estimates are over 139% higher than the 2023 estimate, and when accounting for higher fuel prices and updated capital costs, the plant may incur a total of $4.8 billion in NPV costs.
• The cost of CEPs varies based on reliability assumptions and the integration of energy efficiency. Portfolios using realistic reliability assumptions cost between $2.7 and $3.4 billion, while those with high energy efficiency utilization can reduce costs to between $2.1 and $2.6 billion.
• JEA is identified as underutilizing energy efficiency, spending only 0.42% of its revenue on such efforts compared to a national average of 2.58%. Increasing these measures could reduce overall demand and the need to overbuild generation assets.
• The proposed gas plant is projected to have severe negative health impacts due to emissions of PM2.5, SO2, and NOx. These impacts are estimated to cost over $1 billion state-wide in Florida, with approximately $400 million to $500 million occurring in Duval County alone.
• Implementing CEPs would provide substantial local economic advantages, including between $429 and $757 million in benefits and the creation of 3,331 to 5,251 construction jobs.

APA

RMI (2025). Clean Energy Portfolios Can Provide Reliable, Affordable Energy for Jacksonville. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-portfolios-can-provide-reliable-affordable-energy-for-jacksonville/

Chicago

RMI. Clean Energy Portfolios Can Provide Reliable, Affordable Energy for Jacksonville. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-portfolios-can-provide-reliable-affordable-energy-for-jacksonville/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Clean Energy Portfolios Can Provide Reliable, Affordable Energy for Jacksonville |date=14 October 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-portfolios-can-provide-reliable-affordable-energy-for-jacksonville/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025clean, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Clean Energy Portfolios Can Provide Reliable, Affordable Energy for Jacksonville}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-portfolios-can-provide-reliable-affordable-energy-for-jacksonville/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }