FMPA Weekly | Jan. 31, 2011 | Member Edition

FMPA Weekly

 

A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members

 

Jan. 31, 2011

 


 

LAST WEEK

 

City of Ocala Launches “Beat the Peak Program

The city of Ocala recently launched a new energy conservation effort called “Beat the Peak. The program, known during program development as the Electricity Conservation Activity Program, encourages electric customers to voluntarily reduce electricity use during peak times, particularly in the winter and summer. The city uses daily power costs estimates and projected peak demand to recommend a level of conservation. The recommendation appears on the city’s http://www.ocalafl.org/COO3.aspx?id=2805>website;, and the city hopes to publish it in the local newspaper. For more information about the program or how to get your city involved, contact Jean Henning at Ocala or Mark McCain at FMPA.

 

Audit and Risk Oversight Committee

The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee met last Wednesday and approved action items including: 1) an accounts payable processes review report, and 2) a risk review and recommendation of the financial audit report for fiscal year 2010. The full agenda package can be reviewed on the Member Portal.

 

Board of Directors

FMPA’s Board of Directors met last Thursday and approved action items including: 1) authorization of APPA PowerPAC to contact FMPA board members and some staff, and 2) approval of the financial audit report for fiscal year 2010. The full agenda package can be reviewed on the Member Portal.

 

ARP Executive Committee

The All-Requirements Project Executive Committee met last Thursday and approved the financial audit report for fiscal year 2010. The feed-in tariff action item was tabled in order to obtain feedback on the contract from member cities. The Executive Committee accepted the city of Leesburg’s  invitation to host the September 2011 Executive Committee meeting. The full agenda package can be reviewed on the Member Portal.

 

 


 

THIS WEEK

 

Cane Island Unit 4

Cane Island Unit 4 is poised to achieve two important milestones in early February that signal the project’s transition from construction to operational testing. The gas turbine is scheduled for its “first fire this Wednesday, which means fuel will be ignited in the turbine for the first time. Another significant milestone called the steam blow is also scheduled to start this week. High-pressure steam will be blown through the unit’s pipes and vented to the atmosphere in order to clean the system. The steam blow may last approximately 10 days. Contact: David Schumann

 

Annual Report

FMPA’s 2010 Annual Report has been printed and will be mailed in early February. The report is also available online at FMPA.com. Contact: Mark McCain

 

FMPA Office Rearrangement

Some FMPA staff members in the Power Resources Division will move offices this week to better comply with code of conduct regulations. The changes include moving the Fuels and Marketing Department from the first floor to the second floor and consolidating short-term operations staff to one area downstairs. To make room upstairs for the Fuels and Marketing Department, some of the Project Development staff will move downstairs. Contact: Tom Reedy

 

Member City Visit

Bud Boudreaux and Fred Bryant travel to Bushnell on Friday for a member city visit to meet with Vince Ruano, Mayor Bill Spaude and former Mayor Joe Strickland.

 

All-Requirements Project Load

The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph will be posted on the Member Portal later this week. The graph is updated through Jan. 30. Contact: Jim Atz

 


 

COMING UP

 

Open Access Transmission Tariff Workshop

FMPA is hosting a workshop Feb. 8 in the Board room to provide an in-depth discussion on the possibility of FMPA becoming a Transmission Service Provider (TSP). The workshop will discuss topics including: 1) why become a TSP?, 2) issues around TSP provision, 3) operating as a TSP, 4) impacts to FMPA, 5) impacts to members, 6) costs and benefits, and 7) an action plan and schedule. Attendance is encouraged for decision makers, compliance managers and T&D operations managers. Lunch will be provided, and members can RSVP to Michelle Pisarri. Contact: Frank Gaffney

 


 

INDUSTRY NEWS

 

FPL Customers’ Electric Bills to Rise by $1.60
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a series of rate increases last Wednesday requested by Florida Power & Light (FPL) related to fuel and other charges. The changes will increase bills by $1.43 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours in March and another 17 cents in June. The increases cover FPL’s missed projections for fuel costs by about $208 million in 2010 and more than $9 million in 2009. FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana said fuel costs were “higher than anticipated due to an unusually cold winter and hot summer. Villafana also noted that FPL spent $53 million more than expected to save energy and meet more aggressive goals set by the PSC in late 2009.

 

Orlando May Tu to South Carolina for Nuclear Power

Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) General Manager Ken Ksionek said last week that he remains interested in the possibility of investing in a nuclear plant proposed just 90 miles northwest of Orlando in Levy County but that buying into units near Columbia, S.C., could be cheaper and quicker. According to the Orlando Sentinel, though no terms have been set, OUC could be looking at investing $500 million to $1 billion in the project, one of the most significant expenditures in OUC’s history. Currently, South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., the South Carolina Public Service Authority and Santee Cooper, a state-owned utility, plan to build a pair of 1,100-megawatt reactors at the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station. The project has an estimated price tag of $10 billion, or less than half of the $22 billion a nuclear plant in Levy County is expected to cost.

 

Obama Calls for More Clean Energy Sources in State of the Union Address

President Barack Obama called for an increased investment in clean energy technology in his Check” rel=”nofollow”>http://insite.fmpa.local/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=639&Itemid=75>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.

 

Have a story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes all employees’ story suggestions including updates on FMPA business, employees’ personal or family accomplishments, as well as industry news suggestions. Contact: Lance Larsson or Ryan Dumas.