JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — JEA tells Action News Jax’s Ben Becker the deadline to purchase a turbine from GE Vernova -- the heart of the new power plant -- has been extended to the end of September, a month later than initially planned.
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In addition, the overall project agreement deadline is now set for Nov. 21, instead of the original end-of-September date.
Plant timeline: 2030–2031
JEA says the facility is expected to be built at the former St. Johns Power Park and come online by 2030 or 2031, aiming to support Jacksonville’s growing energy needs.
Long turbine wait times
Why the urgency? GE already told JEA its turbines are largely sold out for 2026 and 2027 and is currently fulfilling orders for 2028. However, turbine delivery times are reportedly stretching up to 7 years, fueled by high demand from:
- AI data centers
- New manufacturing
- Utilities racing to strengthen aging infrastructure
JEA released its RFP in September 2024 and received bids from GE and Mitsubishi Power America seven months later in March 2025.
Mitsubishi is supplying a turbine to Georgia Power at Plant Yates in Newnan, near Atlanta. JEA eventually selected GE Vernova after completing its evaluation process in April leading to discussions in late July.
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Why this matters to you
- Expected cost to ratepayers: $6 billion over 30 years, including debt service, fixed costs and fuel.
- Project location: Environmentally sensitive area near the Lower St. Johns River, San Carlos Creek, and the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
- Purpose: Replace aging Unit 3 at Northside Generation Station by 2031
- Expected efficiency gain: 30% more efficient than the existing unit
- Capacity: Power up to 300,000 homes with a 640 megawatt combined cycle turbine
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JEA responds
JEA says GE Vernova extended the deadlines, but no reason was given. Still, the utility believes the change “does not materially impact the turbine timeline.”
“JEA has been working on both the self-build and PPA options to ensure we meet our 2030/2031 resource needs,” a spokesperson told Action News Jax.
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