Big Bend Power Station

The scrubber for Unit 4 began operation in 1984, and since 1995, has simultaneously scrubbed Unit 3 as well. The scrubber for Units 1 and 2 began operation at the end of 1999. According to TECO Energy, the scrubber system removes 95% of sulfur dioxide from all four units. ==Manatees==

During the winter months, warm-water outfalls from the station draw dozens of West Indian manatees, an endangered species, to the immediate vicinity of the plant. In 1986, TECO set aside a manatee viewing area which is accessible to the public. == Upgrade to Big Bend Unit 1 and retirement of Unit 2 ==

In 2018, Tampa Electric announced several major upgrades for Big Bend Power Station. The company modernized Unit 1 to use natural gas combined-cycle technology in 2023, which enabled the unit to generate 1,090 MW while eliminating coal as a fuel source. Big Bend Unit 2 was retired in 2021 after nearly 50 years of service. This upgrade gave Tampa Electric a 2023 generation portfolio of 75 percent natural gas, 12 percent coal, about 7 percent solar, and about 6 percent other sources. The clean, warm-water discharge at the station that provides a sanctuary for manatees at the adjacent Manatee Viewing Center remained. == Solar power ==

Directly to the southeast of Big Bend Power Station, Tampa Electric’s 23 MW photovoltaic array features more than 200,000 thin-film solar panels. Built on 106 acres of company-owned land, the solar array was the largest of its kind in the Tampa Bay area when it was completed in 2017. This was part of the company’s large-scale solar power initiative that calls for a total of 600 MW of new solar power to be operational at photovoltaic sites around the Tampa Bay area by 2023. TECO has also built a 1 MW floating solar array on a pond at the plant. ==Accident==

On 29 June 2017, molten slag from a coal boiler killed 5 and injured 1. Safety rules were ignored as they tried to clear a blockage. The blockage burst and rained down molten slag upon them. ==See also==