NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. is an electric utility and renewable energy company in the United States with a diverse generation mix that includes natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, and battery storage. Water is only of significant note at its thermal and nuclear power plants, which require large quantities of water for cooling, while wind and PV solar require minimal or no process-water use.

A strategic focus at NextEra has been to transition to generation sources that require less water to operate. In 2023, NextEra estimated that wind and PV solar generation avoided over 23 billion gallons of water compared to water-intensive generation types in the same year. This transition away from water-intensive generation sources makes a substantial, structural reduction in water needs without upgrading existing thermally dependent generation plants.

NextEra has been expanding the use of alternative water sources at select FPL plants in Florida. The Gulf Clean Energy Center has used reclaimed water from the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority for almost a decade, reducing reliance on higher-quality freshwater resources. To reduce dependence on the aquifer, FPL has used lower-quality groundwater from the Avon Park Production Zone at the Okeechobee Clean Energy Center.