FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
April 16, 2012
LAST WEEK
Member City Visits
Mike Siefert traveled to Starke last Tuesday to observe an audit of the city’s Energy Audit Program, which is funded by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. On Thursday, Mike and Mount Dora Electric Utility Manager Charles Revell traveled to Lake-Sumter Community College for a meeting with Instructor John Kelly to discuss a potential Meter Technician Training Program for FMPA members.
Mount Dora RFP
FMPA and OUC submitted a joint response last Wednesday to the city of Mount Dora’s request for proposals (RFP) for wholesale power supply. The city, which has a peak demand of 25 MW, is seeking bids for a three-year term or longer effective Jan. 1, 2013. This is the first time FMPA has filed a joint bid response with OUC for a full-requirements RFP. Mount Dora is expected to select its new wholesale provider by May 15. Contact: Tom Reedy
Insurance Meeting
Rich Popp and Kristi Knight met last Friday with representatives from Wells Fargo, FMPA’s insurance broker, to review the 2012 property and casualty property bids.
THIS WEEK
Vero Beach Meeting
FMPA meets with representatives from the city of Vero Beach and Florida Power & Light on Monday to discuss the city’s participation in the St. Lucie, Stanton and Stanton II Projects. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Welcome Luis Cruz
Please welcome to the staff on Monday Luis Cruz, FMPA’s new Information Technology Supervisor. He comes to FMPA from Orange County Library System, where he served as Network Engineer. Luis has a bachelor’s degree in management from Belhaven University and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator. We’re happy to have Luis as part of our team.
Conservation and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee
FMPA’s Conservation and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee meets Tuesday at 2 p.m. via conference call to discuss the fiscal 2013 funding allocation for the All-Requirements Project’s Conservation Program and a potential renewable energy opportunity. The full agenda package is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Michele Jackson
Policy Makers Liaisons Committee
FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee meets Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Orlando Utilities Commission’s Dispatch Center to lea about the Florida Municipal Power Pool and to tour the dispatch center. The full agenda package is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Mark McCain
Board of Directors and Project Participants
FMPA’s Board of Directors meets Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in the Board room with St. Lucie, Stanton, Stanton II and Tri-City Project participants to discuss future financing options for the projects. The full agenda package is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Nick Guarriello
ARP Executive Committee
The ARP Executive Committee holds a joint workshop with the Lake Worth City Commission on Thursday at 11 a.m. in the Board room to discuss a possible resolution to the pending litigation between the city and FMPA. The workshop agenda is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Business Model Working Group
The All-Requirements Project’s Business Model Working Group meets Thursday at 12:30 p.m., or immediately following the ARP Executive Committee workshop, to continue its discussion on the GANT Plan. The full agenda package will be available on the Member Portal on Monday. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Business Planning and Budget Committee
FMPA’s Business Planning and Budget Committee meets Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the Board room to review the Agency’s proposed fiscal 2013 budget. The proposed budget is $13.6 million, which is a 1.1% decrease, equal to $158,422, from the fiscal 2012 amended budget. The proposed fiscal 2013 budget includes $200,000 for employee retention and incentives and one new full-time position in the Legal Department. The full agenda package is available on the Member Portal. Contact: Mark Larson
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 April 15. Contact: Jim Atz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Amie Erickson, who celebrates 12 years with FMPA on Tuesday, April 17.
COMING UP
Lineman’s Roundtable
CAA Update Workshop
Are you having a hard time keeping up with the avalanche of environmental regulations? Bob Kappelmann of RLK Associates will tell you what you need to know and answer questions about the Environmental Protection Agency’s newly proposed regulations during a Clean Air Act Workshop on May 9 at 10 a.m. in the Board room. The cost is $250 for FMPA members and $300 for non-FMPA members. Lunch will be provided. Members who are unable to attend in person can register to attend via webcast. The deadline to http://www.fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=41>register; is May 4. Contact: Mike Siefert
INDUSTRY NEWS
NRC Fines FPL for Turkey Point Violations
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) fined Florida Power & Light (FPL) $140,000 last Tuesday for failing to properly maintain the onsite emergency response facility at its Turkey Point nuclear plant. FPL failed to report that the plant’s technical support center was not fully functional during a seven-month period in 2010 and 2011, the NRC said. The NRC determined the violation at Turkey Point was “white, meaning it has low to moderate safety significance. On two different occasions, the NRC said FPL failed to maintain a fully functional technical support center because plant personnel disabled portions of the ventilation system and failed to implement appropriate compensatory measures. The NRC said that failure could have left response personnel without protection from radiological hazards that the facility was designed to provide. FPL has 30 days to appeal the NRC staff’s determination for the finding, the civil penalty or both.
Moody’s: Low Natural Gas Prices Reflect Permanent Changes
The ongoing shift in natural gas prices reflects a permanent change across the energy sector, affecting the electricity, pipeline, coal and rail industries, and this will make it more difficult for coal to compete with natural gas as a power source in the future, Moody’s Investors Service said in an April 4 report. Without a significant pick-up in economic demand, low natural gas prices will help ensure low rates for customers of regulated utilities, while reducing margins for unregulated power companies over the next decade, according to the report. Generators will be reluctant to build anything but natural gas-fired plants over the next decade, Moody’s said. Renewables will remain uncompetitive with natural gas over the next decade, even though all-in costs continue to decline. The demand for renewable resources will remain high, in part because of govement mandates, but utilities will begin to pull back on renewable capacity since natural gas-fired generation will likely be significantly cheaper. Even so, regulated electric utilities will try to avoid overexposure to any one single fuel, Moody’s said. The slow progress of energy efficiency efforts, and renewable energy’s relatively small contribution to the U.S. power grid, suggest that natural gas should remain in strong demand over the next decade.
FRCC Appoints Stacy Dochoda as President and CEO
The Florida Reliability Coordinating Council (FRCC) has appointed Stacy Dochoda to the position of president and chief executive officer. She replaces Sarah Rogers, who announced her retirement in 2011, but agreed to serve until a replacement was found. Dochoda will start in May. As part of her new responsibilities, she also will lead the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group. She most recently served as general manager of the Southwest Power Pool Regional Entity. Dochoda has 28 years of experience in the electric utility industry, including 25 years with Reliant Energy Inc. and its predecessor, Houston Lighting and Power Company. Her experience there was primarily in regulatory affairs and electric market design. Dochoda holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and an MBA from the University of Houston. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.
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
Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
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