FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
July 23, 2012
LAST WEEK
Cane Island Unit 4
Cane Island Unit 4 completed performance testing last Wednesday after being offline for warranty repairs to the unit’s steam turbine. The unit was taken offline to remove testing instrumentation and is scheduled to come back online this week for commercial operation. Contact: David Schumann
Vero Beach Entitlements
FMPA sent a letter to Vero Beach last Thursday with the results of the Agency’s inquiry among non-All-Requirements Project members asking if they are interested in evaluating a potential assumption of Vero Beach’s power entitlement shares in FMPA’s St. Lucie, Stanton and Stanton II projects. Among the 14 cities that Vero asked FMPA to contact, 11 cities responded that they had no interest. Three cities had potential interest in assuming some of Vero Beach’s 48.6 MW: 1) Alachua is interested in evaluating up to 4 MW, 2) Quincy is interested in evaluating up to 2 MW, and 3) Williston might be interested in evaluating some at a later date. FMPA will produce future cost projections for Vero’s entitlements by mid-August and share the information with the three cities for their analysis. In addition, FMPA will evaluate the economic feasibility of the All-Requirements Project assuming the entitlements and discuss it with the Executive Committee at its Aug. 16 meeting. Contact: Nick Guarriello
Board Room Audio Enhancement
FMPA signed an agreement last Thursday with Infinity AV and Security for the replacement of sound equipment in the Board room. The planned update to the audio system will begin Aug. 17 and is scheduled to be completed by the Executive Committee meeting in September. The Board room will be unavailable during the update, except for previously scheduled meetings. Contact: Mark Larson
THIS WEEK
Rating Agency Visit
Fred Bryant, Janet Davis, Nick Guarriello, Mark Larson and Craig Dunlap, FMPA’s financial advisor, meet Monday with representative from Moody’s Investors Service for an annual update of FMPA’s credit rating for the St. Lucie and Stanton II projects. A meeting with Fitch Ratings is scheduled for Aug. 1.
FMEA-FMPA Annual Conference
The 2012 FMEA-FMPA Annual Conference is Tuesday through Friday at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. FMPA’s goveing boards and a committee are also scheduled to meet during the conference. Visit registerhttp://www.fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=45>register; for the Electrical Safety workshop on Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. in FMPA’s Board room. The training, presented in conjunction with Carlyle Consulting Group, will discuss safety methods that utility workers can use while working with energized equipment. The training is $125 and includes lunch. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Dog Bite Prevention Training
FMPA will host Dog Bite Prevention training Aug. 30 at 9 a.m. in the Board room. The training, presented in conjunction with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Central Florida, will help utility personnel recognize and respond to situations with dangerous or potentially dangerous animals. The cost is $75 and includes lunch. The deadline to http://www.fmpa.com/index.php/component/registrationpro/?view=event&did=44>register; is Aug. 23. Contact: Sharon Samuels
CR3 Participants’ Annual Meeting
The Crystal River Unit 3 participants’ annual meeting will be held Sept 19 at 10:30 a.m. in the plant’s Emergency Operations Facility, which is located in the plant’s training facility.
INDUSTRY NEWS
JEA Names Joseph Belechak as New CEO
JEA’s Board of Directors last Tuesday named Joseph Belechak as the utility’s new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director effective Oct. 1. Belechak will succeed Jim Dickenson, who announced Jan. 17 his plan to retire. Belechak is the former vice president of nuclear fuels at Westinghouse Electric Company in Pennsylvania and has more than 30 years of experience in the energy and manufacturing industries. He was a triple major at Caegie Mellon University with bachelor degrees in civil engineering, industrial management and economics. Belechak received his master’s in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Dickenson will remain with JEA through February to assist in the transition.
PSC Denies Gulf Power’s Appeal for Rate Hike
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) last Tuesday denied Gulf Power’s reconsideration request for a base rate increase to include the acquisition and evaluation costs for its North Escambia County power plant site. In February, Gulf Power requested a $101.5 million annual increase to its base rates. The PSC approved a $64.1 million hike but denied the utility’s request to charge customers to recoup the cost of land purchased in northe Escambia County for a future power plant. Gulf Power appealed that decision and asked for a $2.7 million increase related to the land purchase. However, the PSC denied the appeal stating that the utility did not identify any point of fact or law the Commission failed to consider in its initial decision.
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 Jane Stewart 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 Jane Stewart
Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
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Community Power. Statewide Strength. ®