FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Nov. 14, 2011
LAST WEEK
Solar Incentive Program Rebate
FMPA’s All-Requirements Project received a $52,182 rebate from the state of Florida’s Solar Incentive Program for the solar photovoltaic system installed at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. The 26 kW photovoltaic (PV) system was installed in December 2009 and is jointly owned by FMPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. FMPA submitted a rebate application shortly after installation of the PV system. Funds for the rebate program were depleted in 2009, putting approximately 8,800 approved rebate applications on hold, including FMPA’s. In 2010, the Florida Legislature approved additional funding and directed that all previously approved applicants receive funding by dividing the total amount of available funds by the total dollar value of the approved rebate applications. This resulted in each applicant receiving approximately 52% of the original rebate amount. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Solar Electric Power Association Utility workshop
FMPA hosted a meeting of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) last week. SEPA members discussed: 1) the status of utility solar activities in Florida, 2) common goals and lessons leaed, 3) upcoming legislation, and 4) potential partnerships for utilities. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Special Dates
Congratulations to Bud Boudreaux, who celebrates five years with FMPA on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Congratulations to Ryan Dumas, who celebrates one year with FMPA on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
THIS WEEK
FM Global Meeting
Rich Popp and David Schumann travel to Rhode Island on Monday through Tuesday to meet with representatives from FM Global, the property insurance provider for the All-Requirements Project’s power generating units. On Monday, Rich and David will meet with Vice President of Power Generation Jon Boyle and attend the annual operations meeting. On Tuesday, they travel to FM Global’s research campus to tour the Fire Technology Lab, Natural Hazard Lab, Electrical Hazard Lab and the Hydraulics Lab.
Florida Congressional Delegation Meetings
Mark McCain travels to Washington, D.C., this Tuesday through Thursday with Florida Municipal Electric Association’s Barry Moline and Amy Zubaly to meet with members of Florida’s Congressional delegation. Joining them in Washington are lobbyists Ron Brower, Michael Nolan and Bill Peebles. Together, they will meet with members of Congress to discuss energy issues and host a reception for the Florida delegation on Wednesday evening.
Member City Visit
Bud Boudreaux travels to Wauchula on Tuesday to meet with City Manager Terry Atchley.
Business Model Working Group
The All-Requirements Project’s Business Model Working Group (BMWG) meets Thursday in the Board room at 10 a.m. The BMWG will review and discuss Moody’s downgrade of the All-Requirements Project’s credit rating, and special guest Karl Pfeil of Wells Fargo will discuss the credit environment for All-Requirements. The full agenda package is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Energy Audit Roundtable
FMPA’s Energy Auditor Roundtable is Thursday at 10 a.m. at Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). Representatives from OUC will discuss Save Your Way, a program that encourages customers to identify energy saving opportunities and to package them together in cost-effective energy conservation projects. The roundtable is open to any utility staff member who is interested in energy audit topics. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Meter Maintenance Program
FMPA in partnership with Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG) is now offering a Meter Maintenance Program. The service includes testing of transformer-rated meters and metering installations for commercial and industrial customer sites to verify the accuracy of revenue metering. Crews will perform transformer inspections and tests, reset demand, if necessary, and record the time and meter seal number. Contact: Mike Siefert
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 Nov 13. Contact: Jim Atz
COMING UP
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
FMPA’s Audit and Risk Oversight Committee will meet Dec. 8 at 8 a.m. in the Board room. Contact: Rich Popp
ARP Executive Committee
The ARP Executive Committee will meet Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. in the Board room. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Excellence as a Supervisor
FMPA will host the first module of the Excellence as a Supervisor training Jan. 31, 2012, through Feb. 1, 2012, in the Board room. The program offered by Electric Cities of Georgia includes a total of six, two-day training modules. The modules are divided into two series with three modules in each series. Participants can register for Series I, Series II or both. The remaining modules will be held throughout 2012. More information is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Mike Siefert
INDUSTRY NEWS
Vero Beach Approves Referendum that Could Lead to Sale of Electric Utility
Residents of Vero Beach voted last Tuesday in favor of a referendum authorizing the city to lease the land where its power plant is located. The vote moves the city a step closer to the possible sale of the city’s electric utility to Florida Power & Light (FPL). Voters said yes to the question about the lease by a margin of 2-1, with 65.86% of the voters agreeing to it. Passage of the referendum gives the Vero Beach City Council the right to enter into a deal for leasing the power plant land to FPL. Florida Power & Light has offered $100 million to buy the municipal utility’s 34,000-meter system. The offer also includes a lease payment of $1 million a year. In addition, FPL believes it can complete needed transmission upgrades to allow the city’s power plant to be decommissioned and retu the property to the city by 2017.
Moody’s Issues New Ratings Methodology for Public Power Generation Owners
Moody’s Investors Service issued a report on a new methodology that will gove the ratings assigned to 135 public power electric utilities that own generation either directly or through a municipal joint action agency. The methodology is Moody’s first tailored to the revenue bonds of public power electric utilities whose credit profile is largely influenced by power generation ownership. The updated methodology identifies five key rating drivers and offers a model that assigns specific weightings to each rating factor. Those drivers include: 1) the cost recovery framework within a utility’s service territory, 2) its willingness to recover costs with sound financial metrics, 3) management of generation risk, 4) competitiveness, and 5) financial strength. The methodology’s goal is to improve transparency regarding how Moody’s arrives at utility revenue bond ratings, what factors are consider most important, and how these factors map to specific rating outcomes. Moody’s Senior Vice President Dan Aschenbach said that the public power business model suggests a fundamentally high probability of continued payment of debt service despite possible economic and regulatory changes in the power industry. However, he added that Moody’s recognizes political and operating risks that can affect credit quality as economic pressures increase and regulatory reform challenges the industry.
Senate Rejects Resolution of Disapproval on EPA Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
The Senate last Thursday rejected an effort by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) to block new rules by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that regulate power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide that cross state line. On a vote of 41-56, the Senate rejected Paul’s resolution of disapproval, which would have prohibited the EPA from enforcing its Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. Earlier last week, the White House said that if the resolution were to pass the Senate, President Obama would veto it. The Office of Management and Budget said Paul’s measure would cause substantial harm to public health and undermine our nation’s longstanding commitment to clean up pollution from power plants.
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 or Ashley Henderscheid This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 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 or Ashley Henderscheid
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