FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
March 12, 2012
LAST WEEK
Board Room Audio RFP
FMPA last Thursday selected Infinity AV and Security to help improve the audio system in FMPA’s Board room. Representatives from Infinity will begin testing the current system this week to diagnose problems and make repairs. The company will then help FMPA identify long-term solutions, including the purchase of equipment to operate audio conference services in-house or third-party audio conference service providers. Contact: Mark Larson
FM Global
Rich Popp and Kristi Knight met last Friday with representatives from FM Global to discuss insurance policy coverage for the All-Requirements Project’s power generating units. They discussed possible loss scenarios and how the insurance policies would apply in order to create a shared understanding of policy coverage.
Member Relations Survey
Sixteen people, or 27% of potential participants, have completed FMPA’s 2012 Member Relations Survey. All members of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Audit and Risk Oversight Committee, Business Model Working Group and Policy Makers Liaisons Committee are encouraged to complete the 10-question online survey. A link to the survey was emailed by Nick Guarriello on March 1. Responses are due March 26. Contact: Mark McCain
THIS WEEK
APPA Legislative Rally
Nick Guarriello, Fred Bryant, Mark McCain and representatives from 15 Florida municipal electric utilities are in Washington, D.C., Monday through Wednesday to attend the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Legislative Rally. While in the nation’s capital, they will meet with Senate and House offices to discuss federal legislative issues related to electric utilities, including EPA regulations, tax-exempt financing, cyber security and captive rail. A copy of the Federal Legislative Issue Book is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Mark McCain
Peer Review
FMPA conducts a peer review Wednesday of the transmission and distribution operations of a member city. FMPA’s Peer Review program allows municipal electric utilities to request an independent review of its policies, procedures and practices in specific functional areas. Reviews are conducted by subject-matter experts from municipal systems around Florida. After the assessment is complete, a report is developed with observations and recommendations. Contact: Mike Siefert
Cane Island Unit 4 Outage
Repairs to Cane Island Unit 4 are on schedule, and the unit is still projected to retu to service March 30. The unit was taken offline Feb. 25 for a planned outage to make warranty repairs to the steam turbine. Last week, the high pressure section of the steam turbine was removed for inspection and repair. Contact: David Schumann
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 March 11. Contact: Jim Atz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Larry Landry, who celebrates 18 years with FMPA on Wednesday, March 14.
Congratulations to Greg Welker, who celebrates one year with FMPA on Wednesday, March 14.
Congratulations to Karen Culpepper, who celebrates nine years with FMPA on Saturday, March 17.
COMING UP
Business Model Working Group
The All-Requirements Project’s Business Model Working Group meets March 21 at 2 p.m. in the Board room. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
FMPA’s Audit and Risk Oversight Committee meets March 22 at 8 a.m. in the Board Room. Contact: Rich Popp
ARP Executive Committee
The ARP Executive Committee meets March 22 at 9 a.m. in the Board room. Contact: Nick Guarriello
FMPA Goveance Committee
FMPA’s Goveance Committee meets March 22 in the Board room at 10:30 a.m. or immediately following the Executive Committee meeting. Contact: Nick Guarriello
INDUSTRY NEWS
Energy Bill on Way to Goveor
Florida lawmakers gave final approval last Friday to a bill aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy. The bill primarily offers tax credits and exemptions to help boost production and distribution of renewable fuels. Following Senate approval, the House voted 116-2 to send it to Gov. Rick Scott. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who had championed the legislation, said that with overwhelming support in both chambers, the Legislature is sending a clear message that Florida is focused on its future, putting Florida’s energy policy back on the right track, positioning Florida to secure a stable, reliable and diverse supply of energy.
Senators Observe Simulated Cyber Attack
The Obama administration simulated a cyber attack on New York City’s electricity grid last Wednesday in a private demonstration for senators aimed at winning support for legislation to boost the nation’s computer defenses. Senators from both parties gathered behind closed doors for the classified briefing attended by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, FBI Director Robert Mueller and other administration officials. Two agencies not invited were the grid’s primary regulators, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The simulation demonstrated how the federal govement would respond to an attack on the New York City electrical grid during a summer heat wave, senate aides said. Lawmakers are debating potential cyber security legislation. The simulated attack was intended to provide senators with an appreciation for new legislative authorities that could help the U.S. govement prevent and more quickly respond to cyber attacks, said White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden in an email after the briefing.
Florida’s Biggest Solar Plant Not Realizing Its Potential
Florida’s largest, and one of the nation’s most ambitious, ventures into solar energy has been producing only a portion of the power promised. An Orlando Sentinel review of production data on file with state regulators shows that, during its first year of operation, Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) solar plant in Martin County has not come close to producing enough electricity to meet the demand of 11,000 homes, the output that FPL claims for this facility. Instead, it generated enough power last year for only 2,056 homes, according to the Sentinel’s analysis of monthly reports filed by FPL with the Florida Public Service Commission. Company officials said the lagging performance was caused by a spill of industrial fluid used in the solar thermal plant, outages at an interconnected power plant, and ongoing difficulties in responding to swings in production between sunny and cloudy skies. “In doing all of your engineering, you go through all of your hypothesis, but when you’re actually doing it for the first time, it does present some challenges, said Buck Martinez, FPL’s senior director of project development. “The beauty of it is, it [recently] hit 68 and 69 megawatts on back-to-back days. I think we are getting a lot of the kinks out. The Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center is designed to produce 75 MW.
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 Carina Miles 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 Carina Miles
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