FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Aug. 1, 2016
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LAST WEEK
Interim Audit
FMPA’s independent auditors, Purvis, Gray and Company, were at FMPA last week to conduct an interim audit. An exit conference was held last Thursday with staff to discuss what procedures were performed and to review preliminary findings. The auditors will discuss the interim audit results at an entrance conference for the final year-end audit with the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee at a future meeting. Contact: Rick Minch
Stanton Unit 1 Outage Update
Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) received the Stanton Unit 1 generator rotor back from repair late last week. OUC hired an expert to oversee the repairs and protect the owners’ interests and did not accept the rotor until the electrical tests were perfect. This will ensure the future reliability of the unit and reduce future outages. The unit was originally scheduled to come back online at the end of May, but now it is anticipated to be back online in mid-August. Contact: David Schumann
Retirement Party
FMPA members and staff were sent email invitations last week from Sue Utley to a retirement party for General Manager and CEO Nick Guarriello. FMPA members and staff are invited to the dinner on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 24, which is the day before the FMPA governing board meetings. Please RSVP through the link in the email, whether or not you plan to attend.
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THIS WEEK
Market Research Task Force
FMPA’s Market Research Task Force will meet Thursday at 2 p.m. via conference call. The Task Force was created to help survey retail customers about a potential solar photovoltaic (PV) project. The Task Force will discuss: 1) background on the joint action solar PV project, 2) roles and objectives of the Market Research Task Force, 3) timeline for the survey project, and 4) review the draft request for proposals. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
General Fund Transfer Survey
FMPA is conducting a survey of general fund transfer policies among its members. The comparative data will show retail sales, total operating electric revenues and electric fund transfers for each member. Responses are due Friday. The results will be posted on the Portal. Contact: Ann Beckwith
FGU Board of Directors
Nick Guarriello and Rich Popp will attend the Florida Gas Utility Board of Directors meeting Friday at 1 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Board room of FMPA’s Orlando office.
All-Requirements Project July Load Statistics
The All-Requirements Project’s non-Contract Rate of Delivery peak for July was 1262 MW, which occurred July 6 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. The project’s load factor for July was 68%. Load factor is a ratio of actual energy (MWh) used during the period versus what would have been consumed if demand was at peak for the entire period. A higher load factor indicates more effective system utilization and results in lower average costs. The monthly peak was 113% of the budgeted peak, and energy was 112% of the budget. A graph showing the All-Requirements Project hourly load for July is available on the Portal. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Brian Kosson, who celebrates 10 years with FMPA on Sunday, Aug. 7.
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COMING UP
ARP Telephonic Rate Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee will meet Aug. 9 at 2 p.m. via conference call for the monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. Contact: Jim Arntz
Substation Training
FMPA is continuing to offer a series of substation training classes with the next class scheduled for Aug. 30 and 31 on the topic of substation maintenance. The training will be held at Orlando Utilities Commission’s engineering building in Orlando. The cost is $900 per two-day session. The registration deadline is Aug. 12. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Excellence as a Supervisor
Registration is open for the first module of Excellence as a Supervisor training on Oct. 4 and 5 at FMPA’s Orlando office. The training is designed to provide supervisors or prospective supervisors with the skills necessary to be effective leaders. Training is divided into two series consisting of three modules each. The cost for the first series is $1,100. The program is open to utility and city employees. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Xcel Energy Customers to Receive Bill Credit Based on Value of Solar
Xcel Energy will be the first investor-owned utility to give customers a credit on electric bills for participating in community solar projects based on the value of solar power. The value of solar calculation will take into account avoided line losses and distribution costs, which are expected to make the credits more valuable than net metering arrangements. The incentive, implemented in a unanimous decision last week by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, spawned from a state law passed in 2013 that required utilities to give customers the option of a value of solar rate in place of a net metering rate. In addition, the bill mandated a value of solar rate for community solar projects. Xcel will base its bill credits for community solar using the value of solar calculation beginning Dec. 31.
Miami-Dade County Pushes for Turkey Point Cooling Towers
Miami-Dade County commissioners are asking Florida Power & Light (FPL) to retire the cooling canals at the Turkey Point nuclear plant and replace them with cooling towers. The commission passed a resolution supporting the efforts of Mayor Carlos Gimenez to convince the utility to stop using the canals. Earlier this year, radioactive tritium was discovered to have leaked into Biscayne Bay from the canals. County environmental officials determined that the leak did not threaten the quality of the drinking water in the bay. The resolution calls for the canals to be retired when the extension to operate the Turkey Point reactors expires in 2033.
New White House Policy Governs U.S. Response to Cyber Incidents
The White House announced last week a new presidential policy directive to ensure that federal responses to cyber incidents are consistent and integrated with broader national preparedness and incident policy responses. Incidents will be categorized on a scale of zero to five, where zero is insignificant and five is a national security emergency. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will serve as the lead agency under the policy. DHS is expected to release an updated draft of the National Cyber Incident Response Plan for public comment in September.
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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 Jeff Grainger or Holly Fuller 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: Jeff Grainger or Holly Fuller.
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