Gulf Power Company (GPC) was a U.S. electric utility founded in 1925 and headquartered in Pensacola, Florida. It had over 450,000 customers in 10 counties and 71 towns in northwest Florida, and a generating capacity of 2.278 GW. GPC was founded in 1925, and was acquired by Juno Beach-based NextEra Energy (the parent company of Florida Power & Light) in 2019. In 2021 GPC was legally merged into Florida Power & Light. NextEra has stated it will operate GPC as a separate company within FPL through 2021. In early 2022 it was absorbed into FPL as its Northwest Florida division.

Overview

Gulf Power Company was headquartered in Pensacola, Florida, and has a service territory that spans 7550 sqmi in 10 counties and 71 towns in northwest Florida. Gulf Power had approximately 465,000 customers in Florida. Gulf Power Company owned 1600 mi of transmission lines and 7636 mi of distribution lines (1,748 underground) that stretch from the western Alabama border to the Apalachicola River and from the northern Alabama border to the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf Power served 394,772 retail customers directly and another 14,128 customers through the wholesale delivery of electricity to one investor-owned electric utility and one municipality.

History

Generating facilities

Fossil fuel power plants

Community

Gulf Power Company was the largest single taxpayer in northwest Florida. The company’s city, county, state and federal taxes totaled $132.4 million for 2007 – amounting to 10.5 cents out of every dollar earned by the company or $311 per customer. In 2007, the company supported local agencies, chambers of commerce, economic development groups and the United Way as well as other charitable organizations with nearly $1.2 million. Gulf Power employees also contributed more than $80,000 to various philanthropies in northwest Florida.

Environment & Conservation

As of 2011, Gulf Power had reduced its overall plant emissions by 85 percent since 1992, while adding 135,000 customers over that time period.