As the year ends, we’re reflecting on the achievements, challenges and milestones that define the past year. At Tampa Electric, our commitment to powering communities with reliable, sustainable and innovative energy solutions guides every step of our journey.
Join us as we look back on the highlights of the year – the good, the bad and the promising!
Lighting the way for 125 years
In 2024 we proudly celebrated 125 years of service. Over the years, we’ve grown from installing downtown Tampa’s first streetlight to more than 200,000 energy-efficient LED streetlights; from zero solar generation in our energy mix to about 14 percent; and from 1,200 customers to 840,000 – each of whom rely on us daily for progress and power.
With our sights set on an innovative, evolving and resilient energy grid, we look forward to another century of lighting the way.
A manatee milestone
More than 1,000 manatees enjoy the warm waters of our manatee sanctuary
In 2024 our award-winning Manatee Viewing Center set an amazing new record: the center hosted 1,100 manatees at one time, dwarfing the previous record of 850. Consistently chilly weather drew the gentle giants to the warm water surrounding our Big Bend Power Station. Toward the end of 2024, lucky visitors spotted twin baby manatees, a rare occurrence. Each season, the center draws hundreds of thousands of human visitors too. Since opening in 1986, more than 7 million people from all over the world have visited. The center is part of the innovative environmental initiatives taking place at our Florida Conservation & Technology Center.
And then there was one (chimney)
Modern efficiencies allowed us to demolish all but one chimney at our Big Bend Power Station
The skyline of Apollo Beach was forever changed as we completed the demolition of two chimneys at our Big Bend Power Station.
After our Big Bend Modernization project was complete, we began to demolish the portions of the plant that were no longer needed. Removing the 500-foot-tall chimneys was the first and most visible phase of that dismantlement project. Big Bend’s Unit 4 remains in operation with natural gas or coal as its fuel, and its chimney will remain in use. In the past two decades, we’ve reduced our use of coal to less than 1% of our fuel mix and cut our carbon footprint by more than half.
A historic hurricane season
One of eight base camps set up to respond to Hurricane Milton’s historic destruction
Our community was first tested with Hurricane Helene’s coastal storm surge. In its aftermath, we donated $250,000 from shareholder funds to support customers’ recovery.
Then came Hurricane Milton’s historic winds, heavy rain and flooding, making it the most powerful storm to impact West Central Florida in over a century. At the peak of Hurricane Milton, more than 6,000 utility workers from the U.S. and Canada – the biggest recovery effort in our history – joined our dedicated team to respond to more than 600,000 peak outages, restoring power to nearly all customers within a week. We are deeply grateful for the collaboration of our community partners, who helped clear roads, ensured team safety and supported our eight base camps, as well as for the visiting crews whose expertise and dedication accelerated recovery. And we’re committed to continually enhancing our infrastructure and response capabilities to improve our resilience against future storms.
Line Worker Training Program
Students in the Line Worker Training program practice in a training yard at HCC
In 2023, we joined forces with Hillsborough Community College (HCC) to create something awesome for our communities – the Electrical Line Worker Training Program. The program continues to be a game-changer for those looking to kickstart their careers in the electric utility industry.
Here are the program’s impressive stats for 2024:
- 42 students attended the course (all received scholarships from Tampa Electric)
- 40 students passed the course
- 24 were recommended to Tampa Electric for interview (not all applied)
- 13 were hired (eight by Tampa Electric, five by other energy sector companies)
- Six are continuing their education with HCC in its Commercial Driver’s License program (a great additional skill to have in the energy sector)
We’re proud to report that during the 2024 storms, our new-hire graduates made a tremendous impact, working long hours in their new roles as apprentice line workers to set up base camps and deliver essential equipment to thousands of line workers in the field.
2024 was a year marked by resilience, innovation and community strength. We’re inspired by the progress we’ve made together and look forward to building on this momentum in 2025, as we continue to advance our commitment to a brighter future.