FMPA Weekly | March 22, 2010 | Member Edition

FMPA Weekly

 

A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members

March 22, 2010


 

LAST WEEK

 

Cane Island Unit 4

The final heavy haul transports to Cane Island Unit 4 were completed last week, and site teams continue to make excellent progress on the new unit. The 230 kV transmission lines, which were relocated and restrung with higher capacity conductors, will be re-energized March 23. Project participants will hold the first of many startup coordination meetings beginning April 13 to prepare for completion of the project. The group also will meet April 14 for a monthly owners meeting to discuss construction progress. Contact: Steve Carroll

 

Florida Lineman’s Competition

The annual Florida Lineman’s Competition was held March 13 in Ocala. The top three joueyman teams were Kissimmee Utility Authority (Aaron Haderle, Chris Ketner, David Wolfe and Logan Murphy), Orlando Utilities Commission (Richard Boley, Victor Mendoza and Jason Drayton), and Lakeland Electric (Dwayne Goostree, James McBride and Matt Thomas). The top three winners in the apprentice category were Steven Grimes, Tim Richardson and Cody Allen, all from Lakeland Electric. Congratulations to all lineworkers for their outstanding performance. FMPA provided the top prizes of travel expenses for the winning team and apprentice to attend the national lineworker’s competition.

 

HedgeSite

FMPA’s Marketing and Fuels Department published the March issue of “HedgeSite on the Member Portal last Friday. This issue describes behavioral hedging, a theory that hedgers make systematic errors because they are prone to human emotions and limitations. The article on behavioral hedging describes normal behavior tendencies that cause errors, including cognitive biases, rules of thumb, hope, fear and overconfidence. This issue also provides overviews of FMPA’s current hedge position, storage inventory and physical gas. Contact: Pramod Gurshaney

 


 

THIS WEEK

 

Final Day for Member Relations Survey

Today is the final day to participate in FMPA’s 2010 Member Relations Survey. The survey is a strategic action item to achieve FMPA’s goal of “fostering a positive communication culture. The eight-question online survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. If you have questions, check out this list of frequently asked questions or contact Diane Nelson. Don’t miss this important opportunity to let your voice be heard.

 

FMEA Rally and Policy Makers Liaisons Committee Meeting

The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) holds its annual Legislative Rally on Monday and Tuesday in Tallahassee. Fred Bryant, Jody Finklea, Mark McCain and Dan O’Hagan will attend from FMPA. FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee will meet Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at FMEA’s office in conjunction with the Rally. Participants will discuss the proposed legislation to subject FMPA to regulation by the Public Service Commission.

 

Solar Dedication Ceremony

FMPA, Keys Energy Services and NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary will dedicate a new solar demonstration project at a ceremony Friday in Key West. The 26 kilowatt (AC) solar photovoltaic system was installed at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center in December 2009 and now provides about 30% of the Center’s power. The project includes an educational kiosk at the Center that will be unveiled Friday at the ceremony. The interactive display educates visitors about climate change, energy conservation and solar power generation. Contact: Diane Nelson

 

ARP Executive Committee

FMPA’s ARP Executive Committee meets Friday at 8 a.m. at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. The Committee will discuss action items, including: 1) approval of demand credits for excluded resources, 2) approval of FMPA’s FERC regulatory compliance program, 3) approval of an initial budget for outside legal counsel for Lake Worth litigation, and 4) approval of a response to Lake Worth’s letter. Contact: Michelle Pisarri.

 

Regulatory Deadline

Each municipal electric utility is required to file a report with the Public Service Commission by April 1 that identifies the utility’s “standards for promotion, encouragement, and expansion of the use of renewable energy resources and energy conservation and efficiency measures. FMPA sent a report template to help All-Requirements Project (ARP) participants complete this requirement. Members are asked to submit their annual report to Sharon Smeenk no later than March 29. FMPA will submit the reports on behalf of all ARP members.

 

Logo Apparel

FMPA will soon place another order for logo apparel. The Agency provides complimentary logo embroidery of two items per employee or Board member each fiscal year. Those who are interested should review the catalog on FMPA’s Member Portal and contact Sara Barron to place an order by March 31.

 

Member Portal Spotlight: Project Development

For the next several weeks, the Member Portal Spotlight will highlight sections managed by different Departments within the Agency. The Project Development section includes information on FMPA’s latest power plant projects. It is the best resource for updated information on Cane Island Unit 4, including the project’s capital budget. The Cane Island #4 Project Cost Tracking document shows the allocation of costs for the project and the amount of the budget spent in various areas as construction moves forward. The Project Development section also includes monthly reports on the Cane Island Unit 4 project from FMPA’s partners Black & Veatch, Kissimmee Utility Authority and Zachry. Contact: Diane Nelson

 

All-Requirements Project Load

The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Member Portal. The graph is updated through March 21. Contact: Jim Atz

 

Service Anniversaries

Congratulations to Peter Moore, who celebrates six years with FMPA on Monday, March 22.

 


 

COMING UP

 

Business Planning and Budget Committee Rescheduled

The start time for the April 15 meeting of FMPA’s Business Planning and Budget Committee has been changed to 9 a.m. Contact: Ellen Lindsay

 

Electric Cities of Georgia Safety Training

FMPA hosts two days of safety skills training for participants in the Lineman’s Safety Program on April 19 and April 20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at FMPA. Lunch will be provided for attendees. There is no cost associated with the training, which is only open to the 12 member cities who already participate in the Program. The sessions will cover underground standard operating procedures, distribution switching and transformer connections and banking. Contact Mike Siefert to register.

 

Consumer-to-Business Collections Workshop

FMPA hosts a Consumer-to-Business workshop April 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at FMPA. The workshop is free for FMPA members, and lunch will be provided for attendees. The session will also be Webcast for those who cannot attend in person. Participants will discuss consumer payment trends, opportunities to respond to trends, the relative risks associated with response methods and ideas for optimal cash management applications to support consumer trends. Register” rel=”nofollow”>http://fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=17>Register online by May 6 to attend. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

Environmental Waste Management for Electric Utilities Workshop

FMPA hosts a workshop on Environmental Waste Management for Electric Utilities on May 12 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at FMPA. Lunch will be provided for attendees, and the session will be Webcast for those who cannot attend in person. The workshop will provide utility staff with an understanding of the requirements for managing waste generated as part of utility operations, including solvents, paints, used oil, lamps and ballasts containing mercury, batteries, utility poles, herbicides and pesticides. Professional Engineers who attend the course will receive four professional development hours from the Florida Board of Professional Engineers for completion of this course. The” rel=”nofollow”>http://energyenvironment.pnl.gov/news/pdf/PNNL-19112_Revision_1_Final.pdf>The Smart Grid: An Estimation of the Energy and CO2 Benefits, assumed virtually 100% penetration of smart grid technologies in evaluating how different functions of the smart grid could provide substantial reductions in energy use and carbon emissions, both directly by using new technology and indirectly by making renewable energy and efficiency programs more affordable and potentially larger. The American Public Power Association (APPA) is offering two Webinars in April that will focus on renewables and the smart grid. On April 6, Smart” rel=”nofollow”>http://www.appanet.org/events/environment.cfm?ItemNumber=27041&sn.ItemNumber=0>Smart Grid: Educating Your Boards, Staff and Customers will allow participants to hear from a consultant about the importance of educating boards, staff and customers throughout the smart grid development process and lea techniques for effective communication.

 

Cocoa Beach Ponders Pulling Plug on FPL

With the 30-year franchise agreement between Cocoa Beach and Florida Power and Light (FPL) set to expire in fall 2011, city leaders must decide whether to sign another contract or opt to buy the company’s equipment within the city and provide electric service as a municipal utility. City Commissioner Kevin Pruett said he has received complaints about leaning poles, excess poles, FPL’s slow response to streetlight outages and not enough underground utility lines. The City Commission has hired consultants to look into the value of the system and the feasibility getting into the power business. FPL officials said the company is the best option for price and service. “As measured by the industry standard, FPL customers on average experienced 82.4 minutes without power over the year, which is 46% better than the 2008 national average, said FPL spokeswoman Jackie Anderson. The company said its rates are lower than all the municipal utilities and the lowest of all 55 utilities in the state. Commissioner Pruett said he merely wants the issue to be examined objectively. “I think we need to put aside all the political rhetoric, he said. “Regardless of what path we take, we can do better.

 


 

FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and goveing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Skye Guthrie or Diane Nelson in FMPA’s Public Relations Department.

 

Want more background on the names and terms used in this newsletter? Check out FMPA’s Glossary, which features some of the most frequently mentioned committees, companies, places and terms, or contact the person named in each FMPA story to lea more. (Click here for the Staff Directory).

 

Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Skye Guthrie or Diane Nelson