FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA member
May 16, 2011
LAST WEEK
Blountstown Power Supply RFP
FMPA submitted proposals last Tuesday to provide full-requirements power supply services to the city of Blountstown. One proposal was to join the All-Requirements Project, and the second proposal was a full-requirements power purchase. The city is seeking a five-year agreement beginning May 2012 for its total load, which has peaked at 10 MW. Blountstown’s current wholesale provider is Southe. Contact: Richard Montgomery
Cane Island Unit 4 Testing
Cane Island Unit 4 resumed testing last week as contractors began running the unit in combined-cycle mode. The unit’s power output reached 321 MW, which is more than its capacity design rating. Testing will continue into June as the unit is prepared for certification and commissioning. Contact: David Schumann
Executive Committee OATT Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee held a workshop last Tuesday to discuss the open access transmission tariff (OATT), member agreements, and cost and revenue streams. The tariff will be brought to the Executive Committee later this summer for approval. Contact: Frank Gaffney
Member City Visit
Bud Boudreaux traveled to Green Cove Springs last Wednesday to meet with City Manager Danielle Judd and Director of Electric Utility Gregg Griffin.
THIS WEEK
St. Lucie Audit
FMPA’s Contract Compliance Auditors travel to Juno Beach, Fla., on Monday to begin an audit of billings from Florida Power & Light to FMPA’s St. Lucie Project. The auditors expect to be in the field for two weeks reviewing billings for fiscal years 2009 and 2010. Contact: Rich Popp
All-Requirements 101
Nick Guarriello, Mark Larson and Tom Reedy travel to Kissimmee on Wednesday to present All-Requirements 101 to the Kissimmee Utility Authority Board of Directors.
APPA CEO Climate Change Task Force
Mark McCain travels to Washington, D.C., for a meeting on Wednesday of the American Public Power Association’s CEO Climate Change Task Force. The Task Force will discuss legislative and regulatory updates, as well as the Task Force’s future work plan.
Protective Relay Seminar
FMPA and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories will hold a protective relay seminar Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at FMPA’s Orlando office. The seminar provides relay protection personnel with an opportunity to discuss protection systems and future projects. A limited number of seats are still available. There is no cost to attend, but http://www.fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=34>registration; is required. Contact Mike Siefert
Energy Auditors Roundtable
FMPA’s semi-annual Energy Auditors Roundtable is Thursday at 10 a.m. in Lake Worth. The roundtable provides a forum to discuss work procedures and policies, industry changes, equipment and other topics of interest. http://www.fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=32>Registration; is still open. This is a free roundtable, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Member City Visit
Bud Boudreaux travels to Vero Beach on Friday for a member city visit.
All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Member Portal. The graph is updated through May 15. Contact: Jim Atz
COMING UP
Business Planning and Budget Committee
FMPA’s Business Planning and Budget Committee meets May 25 at 9 a.m. to wrap up topics regarding the proposed fiscal 2012 Agency budget and review the proposed fiscal 2012 budgets for all of FMPA’s power supply projects. Contact: Mark Larson
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee meets May 25 at 1 p.m. in the Board room. Contact: Rich Popp
Board of Directors
A special meeting of FMPA’s Board of Directors has been called for May 26 at 9 a.m. in the Board room to approve financing plans for the purchase of St. Lucie and Stanton II project auction-rate securities tendered by Citi. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Executive Committee
The ARP Executive Committee meets May 26 in the Board room at 9:30 a.m. or immediately following the Board of Directors meeting. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Federal Emergency Management Agency Workshop
FMPA will hold a workshop on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Grant Program on June 3 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at FMPA’s Orlando office. Dan Niederman, training officer with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, will discuss the federal grant program and guide participants through the reimbursement process. FMPA staff and member city personnel with responsibility for FEMA reimbursement following a natural disaster are encouraged to attend. There is no cost for this workshop, but http://www.fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=35>registration; is requested. For people who will be unable to attend in person, the workshop will be available via webcast. Contact: Mike Siefert
2011 FMPA-FMEA Annual Conference
The 2011 FMEA-FMPA Annual Conference will be July 19-21 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla. The conference is for representatives from all segments of the electric utility industry: public, private and cooperative. Conference breakout session topics will include energy legislation, how to control costs and provide outstanding customer service, a policy makers’ forum and more. Rocky Bleier, former running back for the Pittsburg Steelers, will speak on how not to avoid life’s twists and tus, but condition yourself to lean into them and channel your energy into realizing your goals. For more information on the conference, go to http://www.publicpower.com/>www.publicpower.com;.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Florida Legislative Session Ends
Florida’s 2011 Legislative Session ended May 7 confusingly with little discussion on some bills that passed, but regarding energy issues, neither cost recovery for renewable energy nor any form of an energy bill passed. Discussion about energy during the session did reveal a significant sentiment among legislators from both parties to introduce more renewables to Florida’s energy mix, possibly with third-party providers, as long as they are cost-competitive with conventional energy. In other energy-related news, the Florida Energy and Climate Commission was abolished, and a majority of the Energy Office duties were transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs.
House Panel Probes EPA Rules Impacting Electric Power Sector
Republican leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are asking for more information on the development and impact of a series of recent and pending Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules affecting the electric power sector. The panel is conceed that the EPA has been regulating too much too fast, without fully analyzing the feasibility and economic impacts of its new rules. Committee Chairman Fred Upton, Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield, and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Steas of Florida sent http://tracking.naylorcampaigns.com/track?type=click&mailingid=517989&messageid=517989&databaseid=517989&serial=1202908090&[email protected]&userid=8162345&extra=&&&2051&&&http//energycommerce.house.gov/news/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=8573>letters; May 9 to the EPA, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Department of Energy posing detailed questions about the EPA rules.
White House Unveils Cybersecurity Proposals
The Obama administration last week sent Congress a set of proposals for toughening electronic safeguards for the U.S. electric grid and other energy systems. A key provision would require operators of transmission lines and other critical energy infrastructure to hire third-party commercial auditors to assess their cybersecurity risk mitigation plans. The administration is also calling for the standardization of 47 state laws that touch on cybersecurity, increasing penalties for criminal hackers, strengthening the Department of Homeland Security’s oversight of cybersecurity and strengthening security for federal computer systems. The proposal comes in response to a request by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and six Senate committee leaders who had asked President Obama for his input on cybersecurity legislation. Reid said he hopes to pass a bipartisan cybersecurity bill as early as this summer.
Crystal River Unit 3 Narrowing Down Repair Options
Crystal River Unit 3 remains in dry lay-up as Progress Energy’s consultant continues to narrow down the list of containment delamination repair options. The options could range from repairing the impacted areas to replacing a substantial portion of the containment building’s concrete walls. Progress Energy hopes to receive the final list of options this week. After the report is received, technical review panels will seek to determine the optimal repair option. The current target is to choose a repair option in June. A retu-to-service date and the cost for repairs have not been determined by Progress Energy.
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 Ryan Dumas 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: Ryan Dumas
Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
http://www.fmpa.com;
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