BAY LAKE, Fla. — Construction is set to begin on a project with Ellen's Energy Adventure at Epcot and finish in time for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary in 2021, according to stormwater permits filed with the state.
The permit application, filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, states the construction period for the project began Wednesday and will run until January 2021.
The project is believed to be part of a larger expansion project of the Epcot theme park.
Watch: Major overhaul in works for Disney's Epcot
Sources said a "Guardians of the Galaxy" ride will likely be announced at D23, a fan event in California held in July.
There is also talk of a "Tron" light cycle ride, like the one in China.
Read: Days may be numbered for Ellen's Energy Adventure at Epcot
In May, the Walt Disney Co. filed a permit application seeking approval to fill in the canal and pave part of the forest directly behind the attraction on the eastern edge of the EPCOT parking lot.
Plan maps show the roughly 1.2 million-square-foot project area includes the attraction within its boundaries.
According to drainage design documents, the purpose of the project is “to provide a more-contiguous area for possible future changes to parking capacity and back of house areas.”
An email in the plan documents states Walt Disney Imagineering is behind the project.
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The plans do not reference any demolition or construction work on the attraction itself, only the area behind it.
The Universe of Energy pavilion opened with the park in 1982 and was updated to its current version with Ellen DeGeneres as host in 1996.