Florida Power and Light announced Wednesday that construction has started on its next eight solar power plants in Florida — continuing the company’s PV expansion in the eastern US.

The new plants, which will be comprised of more than 2.5 million solar panels and close to 600MW of combined generation capacity, are all expected to be completed by 2018.

Once these projects are completed, FPL estimates that the eight installations will generate millions of dollars in net lifetime savings for its customers.

Eric Silagy, FPL's president and CEO, said: "FPL is living proof that it's possible to generate cleaner energy and deliver outstanding service while keeping customers' electric bills among the lowest in the nation. We are proud to be advancing affordable clean energy infrastructure in Florida in close partnership with respected environmental advocates, community leaders and our customers. Together, we are bringing the benefits of solar energy to more Floridians faster and more affordably than ever before."

Each of these eight new solar plants will be capable of generating 74.5MW of renewable energy once operational. Power from these systems will be sent to FPL’s energy grid, generating an electricity equivalent to the consumption of approximately 120,000 homes.

While 500 people are currently working at the eight construction sites, FPL expects the construction workforce to grow to approximately 1,500 over the summer.